


[COMPLETE] A Synonym for Chill

by BeMoreBroadway



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: All the good ones were taken, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I know everyone and their grandma has used the title in some form., Language Switching, M/M, Squip throwing shade, lots of oc shipping, pansexual main character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 16:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 49,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20978975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeMoreBroadway/pseuds/BeMoreBroadway
Summary: Falner Greyson just wants to get through high school without too much trouble. With a lack of friends, a crush on a girl who barely knows she exists, and her overall personality designating her to be a part of the loser's circle, she desperately needs some help. After an old friend of hers explains something about a grey, oblong pill from Japan that's supposed to make you cooler, she takes a chance to see if it works for herself. But popularity and love come at quite the hefty price...





	1. More than Survive

I sat at my computer, tapping my fingers on the mouse impatiently. It was about 4:45 in the morning and my teenage hormones couldn't wait.

"C-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go go. C-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go go! I'm waiting for my porno to load. My brain is gonna freakin' explode," I muttered, looking at the time in the corner of the computer. I knew Dad would be awake soon, and I had to get this done. There was a nagging feeling in my stomach that told me that the video wouldn't load in time. "And now, of course, it's time to hit the road, which means I'll be uncomfortable all day. But that really isn't such a change, 'cause if I'm not feeling weird or super strange, my life would be in utter disarray. 'Cause freaking out is my OK!" I then stretched my arms and legs, standing up. "GOOD MORNING, TIME TO START THE DAY! C-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go go, c-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go go!" I ran from my room and into the bathroom, finally realizing the time. I was gonna be late.

I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to analyze my reflection: matted brown hair, height too short for a teenager, pale skin almost glowing underneath the energy-saver light bulbs...oh, and I can't forget about the dark circles under my eyes that never disappear. Suddenly, my dad walked in, pantsless but wearing boxers.

"Dad! Haven't you heard of privacy? Or...pants?" I asked. My dad shrugged.

"We're all men in this house. Pretend we're in the army." I groaned inwardly, wetting my toothbrush.

"Not all of us are men, but...oh, forget it. Just... When I get home... Please have clothes on. Okay?" I pleaded. My dad nodded.

"Ten-hut." He then walked out of the bathroom. I finished brushing my teeth, washed my face quickly, and ran back into my room. As I pulled my school uniform on, I started to muse out loud.

"Should I take the bus or walk instead? I feel my stomach filling up with dread...when I get nervous my whole face goes red. Dude, weigh the options _calmly_ and be still: This senior on the bus is killer weak, but if I walk when I arrive I'm gonna straight-up reek, and my panties will be bunchy and my pits will leak..." I shook my head, dismissing that option as I sprinted out of the house, fully clothed and both backpacks in hand, and ran to the corner of my street. This is where my bus picked me up every day. "God, I wish I had the skill to just be fine and cool and chill!" I said. The bus appeared around the corner, and I tensed slightly. Time to face my classmates.

The bus rolled to a stop in front of me, and I hopped up the stairs, speed-walking into my normal seat by the front window. Everyone else - the cooler people - were chilling in the back, laughing and talking. "I don't want to be a hero! Just wanna stay in the lines. I'll never be your Rob Deniro, for me, Joe Pesci is fine. And so I follow my own rules and I use them as my tools to stay alive. I don't want to be special, no no, I just wanna survive!" I leaned my head up against the window, staring out it as the bus slowly started filling with kids. The ride to school was silent on my end, loud on everyone else's. As the bus pulled to a stop in front of my high school, I felt my stomach churning slightly. God, I hate this place.

"C-c-c c'mon, c-c-c- c'mon, go, go, c-c-c c'mon, c-c-c- c'mon, go, go!" The entire bus - myself included - spoke to everyone in front of us, some people shoving others so that they could get off the bus faster. I got shoved down the stairs and, before I could faceplant into the concrete, I steadied myself and ran off into the school.

As soon as I pulled both of the front doors open and officially entered the building, I was bombarded on all sides by conversation. I ran to my locker but was surprised to see it occupied by Tempest Kora, Hope Commonfeather, and Rose Kleinman. Tempest and Hope were two of the most popular - and gorgeous - girls in school. Rose wasn't that bad looking either, but her popularity levels were lower than most. It was still higher than mine, though. I simply stared at them, fidgeting with my sleeves until Rose glanced at me. Tempest and Hope followed her lead, and I saw Tempest's nose crinkle in disgust.

"Oh, what are you staring at?" She snapped. I awkwardly gestured to my locker.

"Um.. just trying to get to my locker," I said softly. Tempest rolled her eyes and brushed past me, Hope and Rose in tow. Before they were out of earshot, I heard Tempest whisper to Hope.

"That girl is so weird." Hope nodded slightly.

"I've literally never noticed her." She admitted, glancing behind her and making eye contact with me. I gave her an awkward wave and was surprised to receive one back. Before I could even begin to open my locker, I was shoved face-first against it.

"Ow!" I yelped, craning my neck to see who was behind me. It was Dallas Dixon, an old friend of mine from middle school. I put my hand on his wrist to try and get him off me, but he quickly slammed me back into the locker.

"Yo, don't touch me, short-ass!" He said sharply.

"S-Sorry, I was just trying to get to my-!" I stopped after feeling pressure on my back. After a moment, Dallas backed up and whipped me around to face him.

"You wash that off..." He said, grabbing the front of my collared shirt. "You're dead."

I flushed, nodding slightly. What the hell was up with him?! He walked off, but not before shoving me against my locker again. As the bell rang, I glanced at the sea of students that flooded the halls and grimaced, shouldering my bag.

"I navigate the dangerous hall. Focus on a poster there on the wall. Avoiding any eye contact at all, and trying hard to remain unseen," I said to myself, looking at a rainbow-colored poster that was getting closer with every second. "Oh, the poster's closer now, and what does it say?" I gave it a quick look. My school was actually putting on a theater production and they were looking for willing auditioners. "It's a sign-up for the after-school play!" I smiled slightly, then faltered. No names were on it. "Well...everyone else would say it's a sign-up sheet for getting called gay, and that's not what I need right now. End scene." I sighed, shaking my head and walking out of the hallway.

As I walked, I noticed Christine Harpsong bounce past me, making me stop dead in my tracks. Her chocolate brown hair was cut in a bob and bounced along with her. She had slightly tanned skin, ocean blue eyes, and always seemed to be smiling. In short, she was an angel in a human's body.

"Christine..." I sang her name, quite literally, might I add, but it was barely audible. I watched her bounce past...and then she stopped. She glanced back at me and looked slightly confused.

"Excuse me?" Christine asked. I blushed profusely.

"Y-Yeah?" I asked. She walked over, peered at my backpack, then back to me, confusion written all over her face.

"I think someone wrote "SEXUAL" on your backpack." She said. My expression morphed into one that matched her own as I swung my bag around. Sure enough, the word "-SEXUAL" was written in big block letters. I knew Dallas had done it. I looked back at Christine, who was looking at me.

"I...um...s-sorry!" I squeaked, running off.

** _(Timeskip to later in the day; lunch period)_ **

I managed to find my way into my Mandarin classroom, savoring the warm air inside with a few minutes to spare. My mind immediately flashed back to my short conversation with the girl of my dreams this morning, and I groaned inwardly.

"Well, that was smooth. Yeah, that was super pimp. My mac daddy game couldn't be more limp. No time to wallow, no, instead, just clear your brain and move ahead. Accept that you're one of those girls who'll be a virgin 'til she dies..." I said softly, taking my notebook out and copying down the lesson on the board. "I don't wanna be a baller! Just want some skills to count on. If my guts were any smaller, they would be totally gone. If I continue at this rate, the only thing I'll ever date is my Dell Inspiron hard drive. I don't wanna be Clooney, no, no, I just wanna survive!"

The bell rang, signaling for us to move on to our next class. Luckily, I had first lunch this period, so I scrambled out of my seat and down three flights of stairs, swiftly sliding into the sandwich line. After grabbing a small turkey and cheese sandwich, I surveyed the cafeteria and spotted a familiar - and totally welcome - face.


	2. Cafeteria conundrum

"Eli!" I called, noticing Eli Clearglow, my best guy friend, sitting in the seat closest to the back windows. He smiled brightly at me as I ran over.

"Falner, my buddy, how's it hangin', lunch is bangin'. Had some Takis, got my slushie and more!" He was singing, and I could clearly see why: he had his earbuds in and was swaying slightly to the music that was piping through. I couldn't make sense of what he was listening to. "Sure, things may be rocky, but I'm feelin' kinda cocky-" He gave me a wink, making me blush slightly. "-'cause the girl at Sev' Elev' gave me a generous pour!" I laughed slightly.

"You're listening to Bob Marley again, aren't you?" I asked. He jumped at me in a hug, almost spilling his Mountain Dew slushie on me.

"Ohhh, I'm listenin' to Marley and the groove is hella gnarly, and we're almost at the end of the song!" After three beats of silence, he tugged his earbuds out and beamed at me. "And that was the end, now tell me friend: how was class? I like your as-I mean, you look like ass. What's wrong?" He stumbled on his words, but I didn't really catch the phrase due to me being stuck in memories. I swung my bag over so that he could see the words on it.

"-SEXUAL. What does this even mean?" I asked. Eli paled, twirling his bag around and revealing that he had the word "PAN-" on it. I turned a few shades paler as well as we put our bags together. Pan plus sexual equals...

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." I groaned. My biggest secret was out. I never truly came out as pan to anyone but Eli. Not even Christine, my secret crush, knew that I swing both ways. Eli let out a light laugh.

"My mothers would be thrilled." He commented, taking his phone out and taking a selfie of him and the two bags. I made sure to keep my embarrassed face out of it.

"I hate this school," I muttered, rolling my eyes and tossing my bag to the floor, sitting next to Eli. "Oh, so I had a bit of a run-in with Christine this morning." Eli looked intrigued.

"Did you tell her how you feel?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No. I was going to, but I choked." I replied. He groaned slightly.

"Okay, that's all good. I saw, on Discovery, that humanity has stopped evolving." His voice had turned a little more excited, making me tilt my head.

"That's good?" I asked. He nodded.

"Evolution's survival of the fittest, right? But now, because of technology, you don't have to be strong to survive!" He gave me a bright smile, bumping my shoulder with his. "Which means there's never been a better time in history to be a lo-ser! So own it! Why try and be cool when you can be-!" I cut him off after noticing someone up at the sign-up sheet for the play.

"Signing up for the play," I said simply. Eli looked confused.

"I was going to say getting a sugar high in your basement, but..." He trailed off after I shook my head and pointed to the sign-up sheet.

"No, I mean look who's signing up..." I tried my best to subtly gesture with my hands. "...for the play!" I finished, my voice hushed. "Christine..." I sang her name, as per usual. Eli looked for a second, then his eyes widened.

"Christine Harpsong?! I didn't take her as a drama kid," He said in surprise, then noticed my awestruck expression. The girl of my dreams was a theater kid. This is way too good to be true. Eli smirked slightly, standing up, pulling me up with him, and giving me a shove. "Go get 'er."

I didn't really remember what happened next, but I do remember seeing my black sneakers making their way through the lunchroom. I grabbed the pen and, in a moment of pure adrenaline, signed my name right underneath Christine's in as neat cursive as I could. Suddenly, I heard someone shout from the other side of the cafeteria:

"GAYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The entire room erupted into fits of hysterical laughter. My face flushed red as I started to run out, Eli hot on my heels. As I passed the popular kids table, where Dallas flipped me off with a snarky grin, I heard Tempest sigh in content and loudly proclaim:

"I like gay people."

Confused, I kept running until I was out of the cafeteria and sprinting down the halls.

(Quick location change!)

"Eli, I'm ruined." I cried into my knees. I had managed to get out of the cafeteria without too much trouble, choosing to run down a series of hallways before stopping at my locker, slumping down against it. Eli sat down next to me and placed his hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Shh, Fal, you aren't ruined," He murmured. "Trust me. Everyone in musical theatre is a little gay." I gave him a teary-eyed glance. He wiped a few tears away and nudged my shoulder.

"Besides, you've got play rehearsal at the end of the day. You get to hang with your crush. Isn't that what you've always wanted?" He asked. The question hung in the air for a few minutes before I nodded, lifting my head and wiping my eyes.

"Yeah...yeah, it is. There weren't any other names on that list. Maybe that means Christine and I are the only two in the show." I reasoned. Eli gave me a smile.

"See? Always look on the bright side," He said, patting my cheek with his hand before standing up. "Now c'mon. You've got rehearsal to attend." I nodded and stood up as well, but as he walked away, I hung back slightly.

"I'm never gonna be the cool guy...I'm more the one who's left out. Of all the characters in school, I am not the one who this story's about. Why can't someone just...help me out?" I looked to the sky, almost pleading with God to send me a sign. "And teach me how to thrive. Help me to more than survive!" Eli looked back at me.

"More than survive?" He asked simply. I nodded, walking over to him.

"More than survive," I repeated the words, nodding. He smiled slightly.

"If this was an apocalypse, we would not need any tips on how to stay alive." He said.

"But since the zombie army's yet to descend, and the period is going to end, I'm just trying my best to pass the test and survive!" I chimed in.

"Sur-vive!" We pretty much sang the word out as the bell rang, kids running out of classrooms like they were Usain Bolt at the Olympics.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" I swear, the entire school was connected by some sort of mental link because everyone - Eli and I included - yelled this to everyone either in front or in back of us. I managed to squeeze out of the chaos and bolt for the auditorium.

Play rehearsal awaits.


	3. Play rehearsal

I stood outside the auditorium, taking as many deep breaths as I could. I wanted to go in, prove that I'm actually semi-decent as a singer, and show Christine that I cared about theater as much as she did. I hesitated for a moment, then turned around.

"I guess evolution's not for everyone," I muttered. Eli pat my shoulder. He had followed me to make sure that I actually committed to this.

"You don't have to do this. Of course, I'll mock you forever if you don't." He said, giving me a lopsided grin. I flushed, then tried to pump myself up.

"C-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go, go. C-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go-!" I cut myself off as I ran into the theater, noticing Christine near instantly. "Yo!" I squeaked. She looked up at me and smiled brightly.

"Yo!" She chirped.

"I-Is this where you meet for the play?" I stammered, like an idiot. She shook her head.

"Nope, this is where you meet for the swim team." She said.

I managed to choke out a completely surprised "What?!" before dissolving into a rough coughing fit. Christine's expression softened slightly as she scooted over, patting my back.

"I'm kidding!" She said, her words almost immediately stopping my coughing.

"Oh, well, um, I'm Falner!" I blurted out. She looked slightly confused. I tried to speak again but trailed off after almost getting lost in her eyes. She tilted her head, that same confused expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Huh?" I replied, blinking hard and shaking my head to clear my focus.

"You seem nervous." I laughed nervously, proving her point.

"No, I always...sweat this much." I regretted the words as soon as they left my lips, but Christine didn't seem too bothered, a small smile gracing her perfect lips.

"I get it. You're a virgin," She said. I turned pale. Was it that obvious?! Before I could speak, she nudged her shoulder into mine. "First play rehearsal!" She sounded so excited, it made my heart soar. I took a long breath, exhaling slowly to calm my nerves.

"You think I'm nervous about play rehearsal?" I asked.

"Well, why else would you be shaking?" She asked, then seemed to notice my trembling body. "...A lot." I laughed nervously again, putting one hand behind my head.

"Yeah, I'm totally freaked," I said. She smiled, nudging my shoulder again.

"It's okay. I'm a little jealous actually. You never forget your first...play rehearsal! Coming here is the highlight." She said happily. I tilted my head.

"Of your day?"

"Yeah right," She scoffed. "Of my life! I love play rehearsal, because it's the best! Because it's fun. I love play rehearsal, and I get depressed as soon as it's done." She sounded so happy, but the depressed part made me feel nervous. Almost as if she could read my mind, she quickly continued.

"But not depressed as in like 'kill yourself' depressed. No, I'm not into self-harm. Dude, I swear. Here, check my arm!" She held her arm out and rolled up the sleeve of her jean jacket. Sure enough, there were no cuts or scars, just perfectly smooth, tanned skin. I was silent, but gave her an encouraging nod, wanting her to keep talking.

"See, I just used the word to emphasize a point and show the passion that I've got. I'm passionate a lot!" She giggled. "I have mad gigantic feelings, rad and frantic feelings about most everything! Like gun control, like spring," Her expression suddenly changed into a more thoughtful one. "Like if I'm living up to all I'm meant to be..." I related way too much to that statement but, before I could say something, she continued, her expression changing back into its usual happiness. "I also have a touch of ADD!" She stopped talking suddenly, the thoughtful expression returning.

"Where was I?" She wondered aloud, glancing at me with confusion. I managed to choke out a sound, and she gave me a bright smile, seemingly regaining her train of thought.

"Oh, right! I love play rehearsal, 'cause you are equipped with directions and text. Life is easy in rehearsal: you follow a script so you know what comes next. Anywho, the point that I'm getting to is sometimes life can't work out in the way it works out in a play," She jumped onto her chair and posed dramatically. "Like the only time I get to be the center of attention is when I'm Juliet or Blanche DuBois, and can I mention-" She hopped off the chair and beamed at me.

"That was really one of my best roles. Did you see that? I was incredibly commanding, I think. It made me feel like there just aren't strong roles for women in theater these days, particularly high school theater, do you find that? Because I totally find that." She looked at me expectantly, and all I could do was nod. She was literally an angel that was too pure for this entire world. She made a happy sound.

"And no matter how hard I try, it's impossible to narrow down the many reasons why I love play rehearsal, I happiness cry whenever it starts. It's just so universal getting to try playing so many parts!" She leaned close and took my hands in hers, a gesture that made me blush profusely.

"Most humans do one thing for all of their lives. The thought of that gives me hives," She said, shivering slightly. "I've got so many interests I wanna pursue, and why am I telling this to you?" She tilted her head. I shrugged slightly, then noticed the tiny smile gracing her face.

"Guess there's a part of me that wants to." She said softly.

"Really?" I asked, giving her a small smile of my own.

"Oh, there's also a part of me that wants to do this," She said suddenly, taking her hands out of mine, standing up on the chair, and letting out the loudest dinosaur screech I'd ever heard. My face must've been as white as a sheet because she looked down at me and I saw a spasm of panic flit across her face as she sat down.

"So, I did," She said, then giggled slightly. "Back to play rehearsal. My brain is like bzzz, my heart is like...wow...because we're here at play rehearsal, and it's starting...we're starting...we're starting..." She paused, presumably for dramatic effect, then smiled brightly at me and continued speaking.

"Soon!" She let out a happy squee and shifted her chair closer to mine. I swear I could see hearts floating around us.

"So, um...where's everyone else?" I asked. She looked around at the empty auditorium.

"We've been slipping in membership lately. I guess it's just the two of us-!" She was cut off by Dallas, Jade, Hope, Rose, and Tempest suddenly bursting in. They were all chattering amongst themselves, and I distinctly heard Hope say "Has this theater always been here?" while looking around in awe.

"Jesus!" I yelped in surprise. The curtain next to Christine and I was suddenly pulled away, revealing our drama teacher, Mr. Baruchel. He had short brown hair and blue-grey eyes, was wearing a suit, and looked relieved to see the popular kids.

"Oh thank God, the popular students have arrived," He said, gesturing for all of us to sit in a circle. Dallas plunked himself down next to Jade, who was a seat away from Christine. Hope and Tempest sat next to each other, and Rose sat near the edge of the circle. I was sitting next to Christine, who was front and center. Mr. Baruchel took a moment to let us get settled, then clapped his hands.

"Hellooooo, everyone! My name is Mr. Baruchel. You may recognize me from Drama Class." A tepid round of applause rippled through the circle, but Mr. Baruchel seemed like he was at the Tony awards and just won the award for Best Actor or something. "Thank you. I've been dreaming of the day I get to stage William Shakespeare's classic "A Midsummer Night's Dream-" Christine pumped her fist into the air.

"YES!" She shouted.

"And today that dream dies." Mr. Baruchel finished. Christine looked like she had just been shot.

"Wait, what?!" She yelped. Mr. Baruchel swiftly ran backstage, grabbing an old chalkboard that, among the crude drawings, had the words "Mr. Stephens, Pd. 4" on it.

"We used that chalkboard for Carrie!" I whispered to Christine. She looked at me with intrigue as Mr. Baruchel scribbled something down onto the board.

"But! The dream is reborn! Just slightly...mutated. The school has informed me that, unless I increase our popularity, our funds will be diverted to the Frisbee Golf Team. Which is why our production will be set, not in a pastoral forest, but a post-apocalyptic future. Instead of frolicking with fairies, there will be fleeing. From zombies." Mr. Baruchel said with his back to all of us. Christine let out a sigh.

"Don't you care about Shakespeare?" She asked. He turned around and fixed her with an annoyed look.

"The man is dead. Let it go." He said. He then moved away from the board, revealing that he had written the title of the show: "A Midsummer Nightmare about Zombies." Before anyone could speak, Mr. Baruchel dusted his hands off and placed the chalk down.

"We will now take a five-minute break so that I can eat a Hot Pocket." He announced. Dallas, Brooke, Rose, and Tempest followed him out, talking amongst themselves. Jade stood away from the group and waved them off, walking over to Christine after a moment.

"Hey. You were in that play last year." He said. Christine looked up at him.

"You mean Romeo and Juliet?" She asked. He nodded, smiling slightly.

"You were uh...the girl who died."

"You mean Juliet?" She sounded slightly annoyed.

"Yeah! That was depressing," He laughed slightly.

"Thanks..." She murmured, tucking her books into her backpack.

"But...you were good. I'm Jade." He said, holding out his hand. Christine took it tentatively.

"I...know," She said slowly. Jade suddenly gave her an extremely shy smile.

"Cool." He said softly. She gave him an awkward smile and continued packing up.

"Um, I have to-" She started, but he cut her off suddenly.

"C-C-Can I, just...say something stupid?" He asked. She nodded slowly, letting him continue. "When I saw you die in the play last year... That was like the saddest I'd felt in a long time. It was like everything in my life, all the pressure I feel to be the best at everything, all the time... Suddenly felt so small. And then, when you got up at the end for your victory dance..." He mimicked a bow, Christine chiming in with "Bow, it's called a bow."

"Right! I remember thinking, "I'm glad that girl's not dead...before I ever got the chance to know her." Stupid, right?" He said almost sheepishly. Christine looked at him with intrigue.

"That's...not stupid at all." She said softly. Jade smiled.

"Cool. Hey, a bunch of us are going out after practice today. You should join. "Parting is such sweet"..." He trailed off.

"Sorrow?" She finished. He nodded.

"Whatever," He then seemed to notice me, and looked between me and my backpack with...was that disgust? "Hey, dude. Someone wrote SEXUAL on your backpack." He said, walking away after a moment. Completely embarrassed didn't even begin to describe me at that moment in time. I turned to Christine and, with as little voice cracks as possible, mentioned the fact that Eli told me at lunch:

"So, I heard this thing about how humans aren't evolving anymore?" Christine didn't seem to have noticed me, due to the perplexed expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Falner, did you say something?" She asked. I shook my head.

"...Forget it." I sighed. Jade smiled at Christine from across the room. I stood up, waved goodbye to the girl of my dreams, and walked out of the theater.

"Once again, there's been a takedown. I guess it could've gone worse. At least I didn't have a breakdown and have to go to the nurse. I don't wanna be special... don't even need to survive...I just wanna know that Christine is aware I'm alive." I said quietly. I then noticed the unisex bathroom and, in a brilliant thought process, made a beeline for it.

Time to fix this backpack.


	4. "It's from Japan"

I hurried into the bathroom, then suddenly slowed down, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. Chills were running down my spine. I felt like something was going to happen. Something bad. I shook my head and glared disdainfully at the black Sharpie spelling out "-SEXUAL" like it was some kind of joke.

"Thanks, Dallas," I muttered under my breath. I still had no idea how Dallas Dixon, a guy who was literally the biggest loser in middle school, became one of the most popular kids in high school. I ducked into one of the stalls, grabbed some toilet paper, and walked back to the sink, running the paper under the faucet water. As I tried in vain to scrub the permanent marker off of my bag, I heard the sound of the bathroom door open and Dallas's voice float over from the doorway.

"I told you not to wash that off." He said coldly. My face flushed as I scrambled to open the bag and make it look like I was busy.

"U-uhm, where is my homework?" I stammered, trying to ignore him. No such luck. He strolled up behind me and gave me a particularly hard shove in the back, making me stumble forward and the edge of the sink dig into my chest.

"I'm talking to you, short-ass." He snapped. I had to stop myself before I kicked him in the shins, choosing to turn around and glare daggers at him instead.

"Why do you even call me that?" I asked, "I may be short, but that doesn't mean I can't kick your ass." He laughed slightly, strolling over to a urinal.

"Well, I don't doubt the ass-kicking part, but you could be a little taller if you weren't hunched over and scared all the time," He said. He must've noticed me slowly creeping over to a stall because he continued speaking without even looking at me. "The only thing more pathetic is the way you're sneaking off to a stall to get away from me." At this, he turned his head to look at me.

"Stalls are for gays," He said, smirking slightly. "Are you gay, Falner?" His voice was so condescending it made me sick. I looked up at him but immediately looked away due to him doing his business while looking at me.

"Ew, dude! H-How can you talk to people when you're...y'know..." I asked, gesturing to the urinal and glancing away, trying not to retch. He clicked his tongue and finger-gunned at me in response.

"Confidence." He replied simply. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you might wanna watch the floor," I said pointedly. Dallas was about two seconds from shooting off some sort of snappy comeback or roast, but suddenly let out a scream - one that sounded incredibly pained - and started twitching, almost as if he was being electrocuted. As quickly as it had started, it stopped as he straightened up, making me wince as I heard his spine pop, and quickly finished what he was doing, turning to look at me afterward.

"Falner, let me ask you something." He basically commanded. I nervously rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet.

"Okay...?" I replied slowly. He walked up to me, looming over me and staring me down with an almost blank expression.

"You don't remember me freshman year, do you?" He asked. I looked at him with absolute confusion.

"Uh, no. Did you even go here freshman year?" I asked. He slammed his fist into the wall opposite us.

"Yeth, I DID! You jutht didn't notith!" He shouted. Was it my imagination, or did he suddenly develop a lisp?! He clapped a hand over his mouth, swallowing thickly. After a second, he removed his hand. "N...No one did." He said softly. I was still a little wary, but my caring nature won out and I looked at him with sympathy. Before I could say something, he continued speaking.

"Freshman year, I didn't have a girlfriend or a clue. I was a loser, just like you, good times would only soar by," He looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back to me. "I was...gross. As every female would attest," I gave him a nod, knowing full well that - at least in middle school - he wasn't exactly the best guy. "My sexting was a futile quest, my little penis was depressed, he was so lonely. Poor guy." I had to stifle a laugh.

"Your dick was depressed? Seriously?" I asked. He flushed, glaring at me.

"Y-You know what I meant!" He retorted. I finally let out a light giggle.

"Okay, then." I waved my hand in a gesture that meant to continue. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.

"I was hopeless, hopeless. I was helpless, helpless, every time I'd walk the hallway? I would trip! I was stagnant and idle, I was oh-so suicidal!" He said, his voice shaking.

"And then...?" I started, prompting him to continue again.

"And then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, and then I got a Squip!" He finished. I noticed that his body had twitched slightly with every utterance of "then," something that made me slightly nervous.

"You got...quick?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Not quick, short-ass. Squip." He replied.

"I've just never heard of it before," I spoke somewhat defensively. He grabbed my shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

"Yeah, that's the point!" He then leaned closer, his voice lowered to a whisper. "This is some top-secret-can't-even-look-it-up-on-the-internet shit." I must've looked as confused as I felt, because he chuckled slightly, giving me quite the sinister smirk.

"It's from Japan. It's a grey, oblong pill. Quantum nanotechnology CPU. The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and it tells you what to do." He said with a slight flourish.

"What?! That's not even possible-!" I was cut off by him grabbing the front of my shirt and almost lifting me up. He looked livid.

"SHUT UP, SHORT-ASS!" He yelled. I let out a screech of surprise and thrashed around wildly in an attempt to break free, something that seemed to strike a nerve in him since he quickly put me down.

"S-Sorry...force of habit," He apologized. "Look, I'm sorry for treating you like human garbage all the time. I only did it 'cause my Squip said I had to. But! Now it's saying you're not that bad of a girl! And maybe you want a Squip of your own!" He then feigned disinterest, turning away from me.

"Of course, if you're not interested-!" It was my turn to cut him off, doing so with a panicked shout of "wait!" He turned back to me, smirking.

"S-So...it's like..." I leaned in, just like he had before. "...drugs?" I whispered. He chuckled, putting one finger on my forehead and pushing me back.

"Oh, it's better than drugs, Falner," He said with a grin. "IIIIIT'S FROM JAPAAAAAAAN! It's a grey, oblong pill! Quantum nanotechnology CPU! The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and it tells you what to do! It tells you what to do!" He grabbed me and spun me around, much to my surprise.

"It's pre-programmed, it's a-mazing, speaks to you directly. You behave as its appraising helps you act correctly." He rolled the 'r' in correctly, making me look at him with surprise. I knew he was in Spanish class, but damn, that was good.

"Helps you to be cool, it helps you rule!" His voice had taken on an autotuned edge throughout the entire speech, and it was extremely prominent in those last few words. I felt my skin crawl. Dallas must've noticed something was up because he grabbed my shoulders again and gave them another squeeze.

"' Cause right now, you're helpless, helpless. You are almost hopeless. On the school social map?" He said, waving his hand almost dismissively. "You're just a blip! But if you take my advice," He bumped my hip with his. "And if you pay the listed price, well, then you go from sad, to interesting, to hip! Yeah, your whole life'll flip! When you buy a Squip!" His voice sounded almost tripled and still kept that strange autotune.

"I got a hookup. Menlo Park Mall, Payless. It's six-hundred." He said. My face paled.

"Six-hundred dollars?!" I asked in shock. He nodded.

"Hey, it's worth it! Bring the money on Monday, and you'll see." He replied. He started to walk out of the bathroom.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I said quickly, causing him to look back at me with confusion. "Aren't you gonna...wash your hands?" He raised an eyebrow, then snort-laughed.

"No. No, I'm not. I don't have to worry about shit like that. Besides, you know what you need?" He drawled. I flushed.

"What?"

"A Squip!" He laughed, roughly pushing me out of his way and making me almost fall over again. He sauntered out of the bathroom, leaving me with my backpack, a red mark on my forehead, and jumbled up thoughts.

"...It's from Japan," I murmured. "It's a grey, oblong pill. Quantum nanotechnology CPU. The quantum computer in the pill will travel through my blood until it implants in my brain and it tells me what to do. Helps me to be cool, it helps me rule..." I shook my head, grabbing my bag and walking out of the bathroom, bumping into Eli in the process.

"Ow! Oh, hey Eli!" I said, rubbing the bruise that was forming on my temple from smacking foreheads with my best guy friend. He smiled at me, a bruise that mirrored my own forming on his temple.

"Hey, Falner. You free tonight?" He asked. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you'd never ask."


	5. Two-Player Game

Eli and I sat cross-legged on my living room floor, gripping our PS4 controllers so hard, our knuckles turned white. The wubs and bass of "Digital Paralysis" nearly shook the house, causing me to reach out and grab the remote for the soundbar in a frantic attempt to turn the volume down. In the process, I lost the streak I had attained, and Eli scooped it up.

"Hey!" I shouted, giving him a glare. He smiled back at me.

"All's fair in a game of Amplitude!" He laughed. I gritted my teeth and continued playing, the music now less house-shaking and more subdued. After a few hours of choosing and playing through a bunch of random songs, I scooted up to the shelf where the games were sitting and began to sift through the few games we had.

"What are you looking for?" He asked.

"A game we can play together and be on the same team," I said simply, finally pulling a case out and tossing it to him. He looked at it with confusion.

"Call of Duty?"

He looked up at me, raising an eyebrow and tossing the case back. I gave him a shrug, wincing in pain as the plastic case smacked me in the face.

"Hey, it's the only decent game I have that includes multiplayer. You try playing zombies alone," I replied, popping the disk out of the case and sliding it into the system, hopping back to sit next to him. "Besides, it's the only HD zombie game I own." He laughed again.

"Fair enough!"

The game booted up, I selected our game mode, and within a few minutes, we were standing in the Tranzit map. I quickly ran to find a weapon, only to be met with barricade after barricade.

"Great. I forgot where the guns were," I muttered, making my character swivel around and go to the other side of the room where Eli's character stood. "If we stick together, we have a better chance of living."

Eli nodded, maneuvering his character over to a closet-esque space and purchasing a gun, much to my surprise. "Got some firepower." He said simply. I had to laugh, making my character go get the gun as well. Suddenly, the barricades began to break as the zombies started to spawn.

"Let's do this," I said, giving him a grin. "Find the bad guy, push 'em aside, then move on forward with a friend at your side-!" I had been doing a good job slaying zombies until I found myself almost swarmed. Eli ran in and, with some expert knife skills, slaughtered the zombies until there was one left, shooting it through the head.

"It's a two-player game, so when they make an attack, y'know y'got a brother gonna have your back." He said, grinning at me. I grinned back, both of us speaking in unison.

"Then you stay on track and - AH! - remain on course, and if they give you a smack, you - GAH! - you use your force. And if you leave your brother behind it's lame 'cause it's an effed up world and it's a two-player game!" We cleared the first wave with minor injuries, Eli buying our way to freedom via the bus station door. In the calm before the next wave, I decided to rebuild the barricades that had been broken down earlier in an attempt to gain some more funds so that Eli wouldn't have to bail me out every second.

"So...what do you think?" I asked. Eli shook his head, gunning down a few zombies as the next wave started.

"He's scamming you. He's scamming you super weirdly." He replied.

"But what if he's not?" I retorted. "This could be huge! All I have to do is give my former friend who...torments me...six...hundred..." The realization hit me like a bag of bricks, and I paused the game.

"Yeah, he's totally scamming me," I finished. "I'm doomed to be a loser until the end of time! No, probably then, too!" Eli reached over and unpaused the game.

"No way," He said, nudging my shoulder with his. "Dude, you are cooler than a vintage cassette. It's just that no one else but me thinks that yet. You're just a nothing in this high school scheme, but it's no big 'cause you and I? We're a team!" He chirped. I smiled at him, shooting a zombie through the head and running to his assistance after activating the mystery box.

"We like out of print games, retro skates, wish we had a Pac-Man tattoo," He said almost wistfully. "Nobody here appreciates, but hey, we might be together where they do." I tilted my head.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because guys like us are cool in college, cool in college, this I know," He replied, managing to get onto the bus with me in tow. "Guys like us are cool in college, we rule in college, listen bro. High school is hell, but we navigate it well, 'cause what we do is we make it a two player game." Almost instantly after he said this, I was almost jumped by a horde of zombies.

"ZOMBIE!" I screamed, firing away into the crowd.

"Watch out!" Eli called, running in with his knife at the ready.

"AH!" I yelped as I narrowly avoided getting mobbed, running back-first into another zombie in the process. "Wha-?!" I watched helplessly as my character got critically injured, but with Eli knee-deep in a zombie horde of his own, I didn't think he could revive me in time. Sure enough, Eli's character went down too, and we were brought to the 'Game Over' screen.

"Ugh..." We groaned, putting the controllers down for a moment. I brushed the hair out of my face, reaching over to do the same to Eli and revealing his sparkling blue eyes. I couldn't help but blush slightly as I grabbed the controller with one hand and my Harry Potter cup with the other, taking a sip of the Mountain Dew inside. Eli smiled at me, taking a sip of his own soda. I selected the same game mode, same map, and spawned in within seconds, Eli by my side. As I ran over to the same closet wall to buy my gun, Eli took the first watch and stood back to back with me, protecting me as the first wave began.

"As losers, we have fought together for years. Both Activision zombies and our popular peers," I gestured to the game as I said this. "Now we're stuck on a level, and I wanna move on." Eli shot a few zombies away from me. This first wave was strangely more subdued than before.

"Just wait one year whereupon you'll realize guys like us-!" He started but was startled as I joined in. "Are cool in college, cool in college, won't be lame." I nodded slightly.

"Dude, I know. I get it," I said, Eli joining in the words I wanted to live by. "Guys like us are cool in college-" We were cut off by the second wave starting, and we were still in the bus station. Thinking fast, I ran to the door, bought our way out, and immediately sprinted to the mystery box in hopes of getting a ray gun. No such luck.

"But we're not in college," I said, sighing. Eli nudged me.

"All the same! High school is wack, but we have each other's back. It's me and you, we make it a two-player game." He said. We continued to play when suddenly, a zombie jumped in our faces.

"GAH!" We screamed, both of us shooting the zombie down.

"Oh!" I said, grabbing a shotgun off of the outside wall and shooting a zombie that was trying to take a bite out of Eli.

"Zombie!" Eli called, shooting another zombie through the chest multiple times.

"Blood!" I shouted, Eli soon followed up with a shout of "Claws!" Suddenly, I heard my dad call my name from downstairs.

"Falner?" I looked at Eli.

"Pause." We said softly, Eli pausing the game. My dad walked upstairs, and I let out a yelp.

"Gah! Dad! Pa-ants?!"

My dad looked slightly surprised. "Is that a girl? Are you up here with a girl?" He then noticed Eli, and his expression softened. "Oh. Hi, Eli." He said. Eli gave him an awkward smile.

"Hi, Mr. Greyson." My dad smiled awkwardly back.

"I was going to order pizza. If there's something you two want..." He trailed off after noticing my almost concerned expression.

"Did you get dressed today? Like...at all?" I asked.

"Oh, they didn't need me at the office today, so I worked from home." He replied. I looked him up and down.

"Most people wear pants at home," I noted, trying to keep my voice gentle.

"That's why most people aren't your father," He said simply. There was a long, awkward pause that lingered in the air for what seemed like hours before he gave me a stiff nod. "Good talk." He then walked downstairs. Eli looked at me with sympathy as I unpaused the game and started gunning down zombies with a renewed sense of vigor.

"How's he doing?" Eli asked. I shrugged.

"How does it look?" I replied.

"Have you...heard from her?" He gently put his hand on my shoulder.

"No. And who cares. It's like, mom moved on. Why can't he?" My voice broke slightly, and Eli paused the game.

"Hey-!" I cut him off by hugging him tightly.

"I don't want this to be my future. Dallas said his hookup's at Payless. What if we just go there ourselves? Just to see if his story checks out?" I threw the idea out there as a blind grasp for some sort of hope. Eli's arms around me loosened their grip, making me push out of the hug and look at him with confusion.

"And if it does? Will you be too cool for m...video games?" He asked, and I thought I saw tears glistening in his eyes.

"No way. You know that you are my favorite person. That doesn't mean that I can't still dream." I said softly. He smiled, leaning in closer.

"Is it really true? I'm your favowite person?" He giggled, trying to tickle my sides, making me laugh as I swatted his hands away.

"Yeah! We're never not gonna be a team! High school is shit. And you've gotta help me conquer it." I playfully bapped his nose, grabbing my controller and gesturing for him to unpause the game. "It's just what we do," I said, Eli grinning at me.

"We make it a two-player game!" He finished. We then concentrated on the game, both of us leaning over our controllers in the typical gaming position.

"Find the bad guy, push 'em aside, then move on forward with a friend at your side. It's a two player game, so when they make an attack, y'know y'got a brother gonna have your back," We smiled at each other. "Then you stay on track and - AH! - remain on course, and if they give you a smack, you - GAH! - you use your force. And if you leave your brother behind it's lame 'cause it's an effed up world and it's a two-player game! HEY!" We shouted the last word out, almost throwing our controllers in the air out of joy. We had gotten to the 11th round, which was farther than either of us had ever gone solo. I threw my arms around Eli again, almost crushing him in a hug.

"You'll always be my Player Two," I said. Eli smiled.

"And you'll always be my Player One."


	6. Leaving home

A few hours later, Eli and I had made up our minds. We were going to take the chance and see if Dallas's hookup was legit.

"Hey, Dad..." I said, walking into the kitchen. My dad turned around from the sink and looked at me.

"What's up, honey?" He asked. I took a deep breath and slowly spoke, choosing my words as carefully as possible.

"Can Eli and I take the bus to the mall? Y'know, since...I don't have my license." I asked. My dad thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I don't see why not. As long as you two stay safe." He said, shrugging. I smiled.

"Thanks," I said, giving him a hug. "I'll text you when we get there." I then ran into my room, grabbing my jacket and Eeveelution bag. As I walked out of my room and down the stairs leading to the front door, I looked behind me to see Eli's smiling face. I smiled back, opening the door, walking out onto the front stoop, and beginning our long walk to the bus stop.

(Timeskip)

Eli and I sat next to each other, our shoulders touching. We didn't want to be near any of the other people on the bus, especially because we're two teenagers sitting without a parent.

"Falner, I'm still a little...apprehensive about this whole thing," Eli said. "It just doesn't seem right." I shook my head.

"I know Dallas would never lie to me, no matter how popular he is," I replied. The bus slowed to a stop in front of the Menlo Park Mall, and we stood up, taking the hands of each other as we walked out of the bus. "Here we are..." I murmured, taking my phone out of my bag and texting my dad that we were safe. We started walking along into the main mall complex and looking around for any and all Payless stores. There had to be one somewhere...


	7. Payless Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP my boi Payless

I let out an admittedly shaky exhale, pacing back and forth in front of a bench while ignoring the stares of the people around me. I knew there was only one Payless in the entire complex, but for some reason, I was extremely nervous. Not only that, but the store was nearly empty, save for a few scattered boxes of shoes that were hastily thrown into the aisles since the store was set to be closing. Eli stood up and grabbed my shoulder, stopping my pacing.

"Look. You can do this. You have everything you need." He said softly. I nodded, walking into the store and looking around. My eyes landed on a guy behind the counter. He had dark brown hair that stuck up at the sides, resembling Wolverine, and his eyes were almost neon blue. I felt goosebumps break out over my body as I walked up to him, Eli giving me a gentle push in the right direction.

"I like your sideburns. Wolverine, right?" I asked awkwardly. The guy looked at me with contempt.

"Let's see the money." He said simply. His voice was gruff and seemed to be slightly robotic, just like Dallas's had gotten when he was talking about the Squip. I looked at him with complete and utter bewilderment.

"What?" I managed to say. He laughed slightly, giving me a grin.

"It's from Japan. It's a grey, oblong pill. Quantum nanotechnology CPU. The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and it tells you what to do." He said. A chill shot through my body, mostly due to the fact that I had previously heard those words from a friend, and now this complete stranger echoed them while using the exact same condescending-yet-sinister tone.

"How...How do you know why I'm here?" I asked. He looked me up and down, giving me a blatantly obvious once-over.

"Just from looking at you, kid," He said the word 'kid' like it would kill him. Eli nudged my back with his elbow, jolting me back into reality and prompting me to pull out the money I had in my back pocket. The stockboy looked down at it, then back to me.

"So, that's four hundred?" He asked. My eyes widened.

"Four?!" I nearly shouted, then looked at Eli. "Did that scumbag actually lie to me?!" Eli looked panicked. The stockboy snapped his fingers, and I suddenly snapped to attention, feeling like someone had tied puppet strings to my neck and arms. I stood frozen for a moment before he snapped his fingers again, and I felt myself relax.

"Is there a problem?" His voice was cold. I shook my head.

"No! Actually, there's a guy at my school charging-!" I was cut off by Eli violently coughing from behind me, almost as if he was warning me not to say anymore. I took the hint and swallowed hard. "Uh. Four hundred? Wow. Well, if you insist." I tried my best to sound indifferent, handing him the money.

The stockboy looked at Eli and me for a moment, almost as if he was gauging our reactions, then gave me a grin and walked into a backroom, reappearing moments later with a shoebox in his hands. I raised an eyebrow.

"Ladies running shoes?" I asked incredulously. He let out a light laugh, opening the box. Inside, nestled between two fluffy pieces of cotton fabric, was a small grey pill that was seemingly covered in circuits and glowing neon blue. I gasped in awe and hesitantly reached forward to take it. Before I could even touch the cotton in the box, he clicked his tongue in disapproval and closed the lid swatting my hand away.

"Just so we're clear, sweetheart..." He said, leaning in closer to me. "...this is untested technology. And it's not exactly legal. Which is why you're paying for it with cash in the back of a shoe store. I take no responsibility for what you might do with it. Or what it might do with you." He sounded completely serious. I felt my face turn a few shades paler.

"What might it-!" I was cut off by him speaking again.

"To activate, take it with Mountain Dew. Don't know why. Just something about Mountain Dew. And, this is important. To deactivate a Squip, all you need to do is-!" He was cut off by Rose Kleinman walking in with a confused expression on her face. "I'm sold out!" He barked at her. She looked at him with that same confusion.

"Of shoes?" She asked. He looked from her to me, then seemed to realize something.

"Oh, you're here for shoes?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"This is a Payless." She commented, crossing her arms. He gave her an apologetic smile.

"My bad." He then turned his attention back to me. "Scram, kid." He hissed. I flushed.

"Wait, you were saying something important...?" I trailed off after he gave me a surprisingly wicked grin, shoving the box into my hands.

"Oh yeah. All sales are final," He said, then turned to Rose while gesturing for her to follow him. "We may have limited stock, but I know we got some new lit AF Yeezys." Rose followed him into the aisles, allowing Eli and I to sprint out without being seen.

"Lit AF Yeezys. I think I heard my bones crack from how hard I cringed at that." Eli said after we made it into the food court. I let out a nervous laugh.

"True. That physically hurt," I said, then sat down at a table and examined the box I had been clutching. "I hope you're worth four-hundred dollars..." I murmured. Eli slid a bottle of Mountain Dew my way, catching me by surprise.

"Four hundred and one! Don't forget the Dew." He said. I smiled in spite of myself.

"If this is real...my whole life could change," I whispered, looking at him. "We should split it. You helped me get it. We should both benefit, right?" Eli shook his head, smiling.

"Nah, I don't think it works that way. Besides, I like knowing that when you're cool, you'll owe me." He replied. I cracked the soda open, relaxing as I heard the all-too-familiar fizz.

"Here goes...everything ..." I said softly, taking the pill out of the box, placing it in my mouth, and taking a swig of soda. I could practically feel the pill drop down my throat, something that made me wince slightly.

"How does it taste?" Eli asked. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth.

"Minty," I noted. Eli's eyes were practically glowing.

"How do you feel?" He asked excitedly. I closed my eyes.

"Like..." I took a deep breath, then opened my eyes. Eli's eyes widened slightly.

"Woah!" He whispered. I blinked slowly.

"An idiot." I finished. His brow furrowed.

"Nothing? At all?! But...but your eyes...!" He floundered for a reply, then shook his head and tried to save face. "Uh...try and say something cool!" He instructed. The realization hit me in the face harder than a dodgeball in gym class.

"I think I just blew my New York money on a Wintergreen Tic-Tac." I bemoaned. Eli exhaled through gritted teeth.

"Yeahh... Not cool." He said simply. I put my head on the table.

"Please, just let me drown in this soda forever," I muttered. He let out a light laugh, standing up and patting me on the head.

"Five minutes." He replied. I looked up at him, confused.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Check it out. There's this guy at Spencer's Gifts who's hooking me up with a case of Mountain Dew Golden Lime. It's kinda like regular Mountain Dew, but with just lime!" He chirped.

"Yeah, but wasn't that discontinued in the 80s or 90s?" I remarked. He shrugged.

"80s, actually. And that's what makes it so awesome! I'll see ya in a few!" He said, sprinting off. I groaned slightly, looking around and trying to see if anyone else I knew would be here.

Suddenly, I spotted a familiar face.


	8. The Squip Enters

I noticed Christine standing with Jade by Sbarro's.

"Christine!" I called her name, hoping to catch her attention, and was surprised when she looked over at me. I saw the ghost of a smile flit across her face as I scampered over.

"Falner! I didn't see you there!" She chirped. Jade looked at me for a second, looking both angered and confused.

"Yeah, shortie, you're kinda hard to notice," He said sharply. "Anyways, Christine, the best part is they let you pick whatever you want—!" I felt my mouth working faster than my brain and suddenly spoke, almost blurring my words together.

"Wait! Th-There's something I need to tell you!" My face flushed red as Christine tilted her head in confusion. Jade rolled his eyes.

"Now?" He asked. I felt my legs starting to shake in their usual nervousness as I tried to make some coherent words.

"I...I-I..." I suddenly seized up, felt a searing pain in my head, and did the only thing I could do: I screamed. "OWWW!" Before I could even process what was going on, I heard a computerized voice speak inside my mind.

"Target female: inaccessible."

Christine looked concerned. "Falner?" She asked gently.

"What the hell?!" I yelped, ignoring Christine for a second and focusing more on the voice in my head.

"Calibration in process. Please excuse some mild discomfort." The same voice from before spoke again as another stab of pain shot through me.

"YOU CALL THIS MILD?!" I screamed, clutching my head. Christine looked extremely worried now despite Jade's attempts to pull her away from me.

"Falner, what's wrong?" She asked, clearly concerned. It hurt my heart to see her worried about me like this. Jade let go of Christine's arm and backed up.

"Dude, the freak's freaking out!" He shouted, alerting the entire mall to my predicament. My face flushed red in both pain and embarrassment as the voice from before spoke yet again.

"Calibration complete. Access procedure initiated."

The pain suddenly faded away, and I straightened up.

"Wait, wait, wait...I-I'm fine," I said, trying to alleviate the situation. "I just-!" I was cut off by the voice again.

"Discomfort level may increase."

I felt my entire body seize up again and I let out another scream, clutching my head in my hands and bolting out of the food court as quickly as possible. I managed to get to an emptier area of the mall and nearly collapsed to the floor, my entire body twitching and spasming in pain as more and more screams were torn from my throat. The same voice from before spoke over my screams, sounding just as calm as before.

"Accessing: neural memory. Accessing: muscle memory. Access procedure: complete. Falner Greyson..." Suddenly, the pain stopped. My screams were abruptly cut off, almost as if my vocal cords were blocked. After a brief moment, I took in a breath then began to cough, surprised when my voice echoed off the walls. I could speak again.

The voice from before sounded much more natural, not to mention closer. I looked up, surprised to find a man looking down at me. When he spoke, he sounded exactly like the disembodied voice from before.

"Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor... Your SQUIP."


	9. 20 something, attractive, and oozing cool

I looked up at my SQUIP, completely awestruck. "You look like...Jason Tam." I said slowly.

"My default mode. But I can see you may prefer to take instructions from Eric William Morris, Sal Pavia, or Kiera Connelly." The SQUIP switched between the actors as he said their names, his voice changing to match theirs. My face felt uncomfortably warm.

_At least there wasn't a sexy anime female setting or something..._

"No, Jason's fine," I said. "Can everyone see you?" He shook his head.

"I exist only in your mind. All they see is you, having quite the animated conversation with yourself. So don't do that," He practically crooned his words out, making my blush from before deepen considerably. This was going to be hard.

"Just think at me. Like you're telepathic." He instructed. I nodded, taking in all of the new information.

"Think at you. Okay. Like in...Carrie. Or X-Men." I reasoned. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"I can see this is going to be difficult. You want to be more chill." He huffed. I tilted my head in confusion.

"You mean cool?" I asked.

"I do not," His response was instantaneous. "You see, human social activity is governed by rules and I have the processing capacity to understand those rules. And pass them on to you."


	10. How to Be More Chill: for Dummies

My Squip grabbed my hands in his.

"C-C-C-C-C-C'mon, Falner, can't you see?" Yep, he was singing, and my heart had been reduced to a puddle. I could only stare into his intense, almost icy neon blue eyes, practically hypnotized. He let go of my hands and placed his own on the sides of my head. "Your operating system is outdated!" He gave me a grin and my head suddenly felt fuzzy and warm. I had no idea what he was doing to me, but I didn't dare resist.

"C'mon, boo, you know that you make everyone around you nauseated." He continued to sing, bumping our hips together. I blinked slowly in an attempt to clear both my vision and my head.

_Did he just call me boo?_

_Do I really make everyone around me sick to their stomachs? _

_Eli seems to like me, though..._

My mind latched onto the thought of my best friend, and I saw something change in my Squip's expression. It was almost like...jealousy?

"Hey, I've arrived now, 'nd this is not a drill. Bae, I've arrived, wow!" He moved his hands down to my cheeks and gave them a squeeze. "Won't be long until you wi-i-i-i-i-i-ill..." He paused, closed his eyes, then opened them and gave me a grin. "Be more chill~" He finished. My jaw was nearly on the floor.

_This motherfucker actually called me bae._

_In 2020._

_We live in a society._

"Wow..." I whispered, in awe of the whole display. Despite the outdated lingo, I was quite flattered, even though I knew the real meaning of the word "bae." He then waved his hand, and I suddenly snapped to attention.

"Take your hands out of your pockets," He instructed. "Arch your back, puff out your chest." I did as I was told, letting out a groan of pain as I heard all of the joints and bones in my back pop. I wanted to say something but chose to hold my tongue. I didn't want to start arguing with something that no one else could see, lest I look insane.

"Add some swagger to your gate, or you'll look like a masturbator, fix your posture, then the rest." He looked me over again, making me flush in embarrassment.

"But, um...I kinda...am a masturbator." I said softly. He let out a light laugh.

"We'll fix that," He said smoothly. "Now, all your nerdiness is ugly-" I cut him off with a slight glare.

"Nerd?! I thought I was more of a geek, but-!" He proceeded to cut me off, almost literally with a wave of his hand.

"All your stammering's a chore." His voice was suddenly colder and even a little commanding, making me prove his point and attempt to stammer out a reply. He sighed, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Your tics and fidgets are persistent, and your charm? Nonexistent. I'll fix your vibe, then fix some more." I tried to protest but ended up being cut off every single time I tried to speak, ending in me letting out an exasperated groan. "Woah, everything about you is so terrible," My Squip said, giving me an almost pitying look.

"Terrible?" I questioned, sounding a little more hurt than I intended. He nodded slightly and caressed my cheek.

"Terrible." He repeated. I bit my lip, fidgeting slightly.

"Oh..."

"Woah, everything about you makes me wanna die." He sang. I tried my best to look indifferent or annoyed, but couldn't hide the pain behind my eyes.

"Jesus Christ," I muttered in response.

"So, don't freak out," He leaned in close, his fingers brushing against my jawline and making me tilt my chin up. "And don't resist." He practically purred the words out, my face flushing as red as a strawberry. Why was he so attractive? Especially that voice? He gave me a knowing smirk, placing two fingers against my forehead and pushing me backward and away from him.

"And have no doubt: if I assist, you will be more chill." He said firmly. I gave him a confused look, slowly returning to my more slouchy posture due to it being more comfortable, but I suddenly straightened as I felt an electric shock race down my spine.

"Ow!" I yelped. "Did you just...shock me?!" He shrugged, looking and sounding indifferent.

"Spinal stimulation. You were slouching," He said, then pointed to a Hollister store a few stores down. "First things first: go buy a new shirt." I walked to the store, gagging as the strong smell of cologne wafted up to my nose.

"Wait, what's wrong with my-!" I was about to ask what exactly was wrong with my black Iron Maiden shirt but was silenced almost immediately after my Squip placed his finger to my lips and shushed me.

"Shh. It's better if you just comply," He said softly. I flushed, walking into the store and looking around at all of the actually fashionable clothes, suddenly feeling a little more insecure. "My job's to color your aesthetic, make you seem much less pathetic. Just step and fetch, don't ask me why." He said as I stopped in front of a rack of various t-shirts. As I started to look through, he pointed to a black one at the end of the rack.

"Pick that one." He commanded. I did as I was told, pulling the shirt out and giving it a long look. Eminem. I looked at my Squip with confusion.

"It has a picture of Eminem on it," I said like an idiot.

"If you're so astute, what do you need me for?" He commented. I knew he was teasing me, especially when he couldn't keep that damn smile off his face.

"Tch, do people even listen to Eminem?" I scoffed.

"Irrelevant," He said almost soothingly. "My quantum structure enables me to envision possible futures. I envision a future in which you wear an Eminem shirt and things turn out well." I felt an odd, comforting feeling in my chest. I draped the shirt over my right arm, brushing my hair out of my face with my left.

"What if someone quizzes me about his music?" I asked. My Squip chuckled lightly.

"My database is infinite and instantaneous." He replied. My eyes brightened.

"How are you with math homework?" I asked, but realized that it was a stupid question. I didn't have any math courses this year due to already having the required amount of math credits to graduate. He gave me an incredulous look.

"I'm a supercomputer, sweetheart. I'm made of math," He said, patting my cheek. I blushed faintly and gave him an awkward smile. "Woah, everything about you is so terrible." He sang. Suddenly, a group of guys that had just walked into the store walked to surround me.

"Everything about you sucks, everything about you sucks." They chanted. I backed up, falling backward and flat onto my ass. I stared up at the group, where my Squip was standing in the center.

"Woah, everything about you makes me wanna die." He pulled me up and made me face the group that had proceeded to circle me again. They all spoke in eerie unison.

"All the people in the mall-" The guys stopped while my Squip continued. "-think you are such a slob." I flushed in embarrassment as the group of guys spoke again.

"You're a slob, terrible, such a slob." One of them gave me a rough shove, making me fall into my Squips arms.

"Oh, and boy can I see why." He said, looking down at me with an annoyingly cocky smirk. I gritted my teeth but stayed silent. The group from before dissipated into different stores, I proceeded to buy the Eminem shirt, then let my Squip lead me into an American Eagle.

"Now you. Try picking a shirt." He gestured to the shirt rack I was standing in front of. Still flushed as red as a strawberry, I skimmed through the shirts for a moment before grabbing one. It was a short-sleeved black T-shirt with neon blue stripes. My Squip raised an eyebrow.

"Falner, that's a boy's shirt." He commented.

"Fully aware. I like the colors, it's in my size, and you told me to pick something." I said simply. He looked from the shirt to me for a few moments before sighing.

"I can't deny that it would look good on you." He said, and I detected a hint of admiration in his voice. That made my heart feel happier than it has in weeks, aside from whenever I was with Eli. After buying the shirt, I walked over to a Cinnabon kiosk and bought myself a pack of Minibons. I felt like I earned them.


	11. Out of the closet

"PANSEXUAL?!" My Squip practically screamed the word out, causing me to choke on my Minibon.

"Jesus fuck, man, you almost killed me!" I hacked, coughing a chunk of cinnamon roll out of my throat and onto the tray.

"I've been in your mind for a total of four to five hours, and only now am I finding out about your sexual preferences?!" He asked. I shrugged.

"Guess so. I keep all thoughts to myself since I don't want people to know, but now that you're in my head, I guess it decided to come out of the closet. Unlike me." I then noticed a group of guys staring at me from across the food court. It was the same group that had confronted me in Hollister.

"Take a picture! It'll last longer!" I called. One of the guys squeaked and flushed red, while another laughed and stepped forward to address me.

"Pansexual? What, you fuck frying pans or something?" He asked. I felt my face pale slightly. How did he know that? Was I that obvious? Choosing to bounce back rather than worry any more, I rolled my eyes.

"No, I do not fuck pans. Pansexuality means I swing both ways. It doesn't matter what parts they have, as long as their personality is good. Has a dick? I'd smash. Has a puss? I'd smash. Is a mental projection that looks like Jason Tam? I wanna find some way to smash because goddamn he's gorgeous." I suddenly realized the last thing I said and looked at my Squip, who was blushing furiously and not meeting my eyes. The group laughed slightly and walked off. I heard a couple of jokes about frying pans but chose to ignore them.

After they walked off, I leaned back in my chair and took another bite of a cinnamon roll, noticing my Squip almost fidgeting beside me, the blush on his face not fading. I raised an eyebrow.

"You good?" I asked. He looked at me and nodded.

"I'm fine." He said simply.

"Okay...if you say so," I said, grabbing my trash and tossing it into the trash can, walking down to Hot Topic.

Why would I go into such a taboo store now that I had a Squip giving me fashion advice, you ask? Well, it's simple: Hot Topic sells all my eyeshadow. As I walked in and started impulsively checking out the shirts, I felt someone's hand on my shoulder.


	12. Hot Topic and Hot Girls

"Falner?" Tempest asked in what I could only assume was disgust. What the hell?! Since when did Tempest Kora, one of the most popular girls in school, shop at Hot Topic?! I turned around and nearly bumped into her due to how close we were.

"S-Sorry..." I mumbled, then felt a shock down my spine, causing me to jump and smack my funny bone against the wall behind me. "OW!" I yelped in pain and swallowed the vomit that was rising into my throat.

"Posture!" My Squip said in a sing-song tone from beside me. I looked back at Tempest and couldn't help but blush.

"Hi. Didn't expect to see you here." I said. Tempest looked me up and down in a blatantly obvious once-over.

"You shop here?" She asked. I nodded.

"Oh yeah, all the ti-!" I was cut off by my Squip hissing "Never." in my ear, making me change tactics. "Uh, never. That's what I meant to...say..." I trailed off. I could practically feel my Squip roll his eyes.

"Greet the beta." He said.

"The...?" I then noticed Hope Commonfeather lean out from behind Tempest, giving me a bright smile. "Oh, hey, Hope!" I said softly, giving her a smile.

"Tell her she looks sexy." My Squip said. I flared red.

"I can't say that to a hot girl!" I yelped, then screeched slightly as a shock raced down my spine. "Ow!"

"Don't smile. Stare intensely. Speak like you don't care about your own death." He commanded. I nodded slightly, swallowed, and spoke.

"Lookin' pretty sexy, Hope." My voice sounded much more confident and even a little suave, and it got the reaction I was internally hoping for. Hope's cheeks turned pink, and a small smile graced her face.

"Thanks." She said, giving me a playful wink. I smiled at her, then turned my attention back to Tempest, who was still looking at me with a trace of disgust.

"Is that a boys' shirt?" She asked, gesturing to the shirt that I had in my hands. Confused, I looked down at it. It was a black and yellow Hufflepuff t-shirt, and I vaguely remembered grabbing it.

"No," I said quickly, hiding it behind my back. My Squip groaned slightly, then whispered "Yes." in my ear, again making me change my words. "I mean, yes!" I nearly tripped over my words. Hope giggled slightly, but Tempest still looked unconvinced.

"Repeat after me:" My Squip said, suddenly moving out in front of me. "I saw it in the window and I couldn't dismiss," He said. Hesitant, I gulped slightly and repeated his words.

"I saw it in the window and I couldn't dismiss..." I was surprised I didn't sound like a monotone idiot. He gave me a smile and continued to speak.

"I was dating a guy, and he had a shirt just like this," I repeated his words again, my voice taking on the confidence that radiated within me.

"I was dating a guy, and he had a shirt just like this!" I giggled softly. Tempest and Hope seemed to be eating it up. Hope's eyes were wide and excited, and Tempest couldn't hide the intrigue on her face. My Squip took my hand and spun me around. To Tempest and Hope, it looked like I was about to faint, one hand on my forehead.

"It's still painful." He practically sang the words out. I couldn't hide the blush on my cheeks as I repeated the words, albeit without the whole singing aspect.

"It's still painful...!" After a beat of silence, Tempest spoke up.

"So, who was this mystery guy?" She asked. I let out a light, embarrassed giggle.

"Oh, you've probably never heard of him, so-!" I got cut off by my Squip whispering Dallas's name in my ear. "Actually, it was...Dallas Dixon." I said. Tempest flared as red as her hair, grabbed an empty clothes hanger and snapped it clean in half.

"What." Her voice was an angered growl. I nodded slightly.

"Yeah. He's...French." I said, wanting to keep my prior friendship with him a secret. The popular girls didn't have to know I was friends with the former biggest loser in middle school. She let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"Oh, honey, he is not French. He just pretends to be for attention." She said, patting my shoulder. Hope looked at me with curiosity.

"Dallas broke up with you?" She asked.

"Ye-" I started to speak, but was cut off by my Squip again, this time grabbing my shoulders and practically hissing "No!" into my ear. "Uh, I-I mean...?" I pulled away from him and stumbled forward, Hope catching me in an instant.

"I broke up with him," He said slowly.

"I-I broke up with him..." I repeated, staring at him for any semblance of help. He nodded slowly, then continued speaking.

"Because he was cheating on me."

I nodded in response, pulled away from the girls, and did my best to feign hurt. "Because he was cheating on me." I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction I got. Tempest grabbed Hope's hands and squeezed them tight.

"What did I tell you? He is such an ass!" She said. Hope nodded.

"You're so much better without him, Falner." She commented. I gave her a small smile, Tempest nodding emphatically.

"I mean, who the hell does Dallas think he is?!" She asked, moving to discuss the whole issue with Hope. I bought the shirt and walked out with the girls, looking at my Squip after a moment. He looked proud.

"What just happened?" I asked excitedly. He gave me a smile that looked completely genuine.

"A shared negative opinion is the fastest social bond. You want someone to like you...hate who they hate." He explained. I smiled back.

"Ugh, let's get out of here," Tempest said. Hope turned to me with a smile.

"Hope is going to offer you a ride. It is imperative you accept." My Squip said.

"So...do you wanna ride?" She asked. My face flushed, and I found myself saying "Yes..." before anyone could even dare to prompt me. Suddenly, I remembered that Eli was still in the mall, probably waiting for me.

"But, I-I'm supposed to meet my friend, Eli," I said quickly. Hope looked slightly saddened.

"Oh." She said meekly.

"Falner, if this is going to work, you need to do as I instruct." My Squip hissed. I blushed even darker as Hope took my hands.

"Falner...Do you wanna ride? Do you wanna ride? Do you wanna ride, wanna go far? Do you wanna get, do you wanna get, do you wanna get inside my mother's car? Drive it on home, don't you say no, honey can you be coerced? Home in a snatch, only one catch: we gotta stop for frozen yogurt first." She asked, my face turning redder and redder with every word.

I didn't know if my Squip was manipulating my hormones or my emotions, but taking this offer seemed to be one of the best ideas ever. Tempest gave me a smile, joining in on Hope's speech.

"Do you wanna ride? Do you wanna ride? Do you wanna ride, wanna go far? Do you wanna get, do you wanna get, do you wanna get inside my mother's car? Drive it on home, don't you say no, honey can you be coerced? Home in a snatch, only one catch: we gotta stop for frozen yogurt first," The two girls said in eerie unison.

"Pinkberry!" Hope said with a slight flourish.

Everything felt hazy.

My vision was blurring, and I blinked harshly to focus.

Should I take that offer?

My mind then glued itself to the thought of Eli...and I snapped out of it.

"I... Next time. I promise." I said softly. Tempest rolled her eyes, starting to walk off.

"Whatever." She said. Hope waited until she was out of earshot, then smiled at me.

"My boyfriend cheated on me too. Ex-boyfriend. So...I know how you feel." She said softly. I smiled back, then nervously looked over at Tempest, who was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hope. Come on." She said. Hope giggled, blew me a kiss, and sauntered off.

"Au revoir!" She chirped. I blushed profusely but gave her a smile and a wave.


	13. Liar, liar, plants for hire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spot the reference, win a prize.

I paced back and forth in front of a bench, running my hand through my hair.

"Did you see-?! That was awesome! I have to find Eli!" I said excitedly. My Squip gave me a long look, then sighed.

"Eli has left the mall." He said.

"Wait, what?!" I asked in surprise. "How do you know?" He full-on laughed, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"I can...access the mall security cameras." He replied, waving his hand. It sounded kind of like he was making this shit up as he went along. My eyes went wide.

"So how am I supposed to get home?!" I asked, alarmed. He groaned, grabbing my shoulders and stopping my pacing.

"I told you accepting a ride was imperative," He said. "If this is going to work, you can't just listen. You have to obey." His voice dropped a few octaves, making me shiver. I wanted to speak but didn't have anything to say.

"Now, repeat after me: everything about you is so terrible." He commanded. I looked at my feet, my face burning red, but managed to finally form words.

"Everything about me is just terrible," I said softly. He gave me a smirk.

"Good. Everything about you makes me wanna die." He continued. I took in a shaky breath, then exhaled.

"Everything about me makes me wanna die..." I heard my voice break on the last word, and I had to struggle to stay within some semblance of composure. The last thing I wanted anyone to see was me crying. Almost as if he was sensing this - oh hell, he probably was - his expression softened slightly as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Now you got it!" He said, smiling. "But Falner, soon you'll see that if you listen to me," He squeezed my shoulder gently, placing his other hand against my cheek. "Listen to me, then everything about you is going to be wonderful!" He sounded excited. Suddenly, a group of people surrounded me. I could pick a few faces out of the crowd, most notably Tempest, Hope, and Rose.

"We love everything about you!" Their voices sent a shiver down my spine. They sounded robotic and heavily autotuned, almost to the point of echoing.

"Everything about you is going to be so alive!" My Squip said, grabbing my wrist and twirl-throwing me into...Eli's arms. I couldn't believe it. Trying to speak proved unsuccessful, due to the fact that I couldn't form words, choosing only to stare up at my best guy friend. His eyes were a striking neon blue, as were everyone else's, making them match my Squip.

"We could never live without you!" The group - including Eli - said. My Squip tapped me on the shoulder, making me turn to face him. He was leaning on a blissfully oblivious Tempest, specifically her shoulder, and giving me a smile that was all teeth.

"You won't be left out or unsure," He said, striding up to me and patting my cheek with his hand. "You won't be ugly anymore, because-!" At this, everyone else joined in.

"Everything about you is going to be cool! And powerful! Popular! Incredible!" They said. I flushed, Eli picking me up and swinging me onto his shoulders while my Squip jumped onto Tempest's shoulders and stood beside me.

"You will-!" He started to say, but I cut him off.

"Be more chill!" I said, giggling. He gave me a smile.

"Be more chill ~" He whispered the words into my ear, making me shiver. The entire group walked with Eli and me out of the mall, and all the way back to my house, dispersing once we reached my street. Eli gave me a smile before putting me down and turning around, walking home himself. I yawned slightly as I walked down the street, my Squip walking next to me.

"Why did you lie?" I asked, staring at the smooth pavement in front of me.

"Hm?" He made a confused sound.

"Why did you lie to me about Eli leaving when he was clearly in that group?" I asked. He looked almost uncomfortable.

"I wasn't lying at the moment. He had almost completely left the mall, but I was able to pull him back and have him join the crowd for a little bit. Your boyfriend has quite a strong sense of willpower, I'll give him that." He said. My face flushed.

"H-He's not my boyfriend!" I sputtered. "He's just my best guy friend!" He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I felt your heart rate increase almost tenfold once you realized it was him." He said pointedly. I buried my face in my hands, running the rest of the way home and barreling through the front door.

"Hi, Dad!" I called.

"Hi, honey!" He called back from downstairs. "How was the mall?" I shrugged.

"Pretty good. Found what I was looking for. I'm actually feeling a little sleepy." I admitted. My dad laughed slightly.

"I won't stop you if you want to go to bed early." He said simply. I smiled.

"G'night, then," I replied, walking up the stairs, down the hall into my room, and closing my door. "Be more chill...I'm gonna be...totally awesome...and super...chill..." My voice was suddenly slurred with sleepiness as I stumble-walked over to my bed, almost collapsing on top of it. My Squip gave me a smile, pulling the covers up and over my body.

"Shh..." He shushed me, leaning down and gently kissing my forehead. "Sleep well, slugger. You've got a big day tomorrow." He whispered. I smiled at him, closing my eyes and drifting off into sleep. I felt him gently place his hand on my shoulder, massage it for a moment, then kiss my ear and disappear.


	14. A healthy dose of foreshadowing

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a blue and black void.

"Oh, great, another lucid dream. What'll it be about this time?" I asked aloud, not at all surprised when I received no answer. My dreams had been...strange lately. They all involved people in my school, from Tempest to Eli, and they only started when Dallas told me about the Squip. It made me feel like my mind was trying to tell me something. Something important.

There was a bright flash of flame-colored light, and I was suddenly standing in the center of a living room that I didn't recognize. The coffee table was flipped over completely, the couch looked torn in places, beer and soda cans littered the floor, and the windows were smashed. In short, it looked like a tornado had touched down and ripped through the room. Suddenly, I heard Dallas's voice shout from the kitchen.

"I won't let you do this!" He came stumbling out, phasing through me in the process. He looked terrible. His hair was disheveled and hung in his face, neon blue circuits seemed to sear themselves into the skin below his eyes and on his neck, and he was desperately clawing at his throat and head.

"And how do you plan on stopping us?~" The voice made my heart almost stop. Not only were the words spoken completely out loud, as though the speaker was literally right next to me, but they were spoken in the same condescending-yet-threatening tone as the way my Squip said certain things. The voice itself sounded like Daisy Ridley - Rey from Star Wars - with heavy autotune and an almost demonic distortion. Dallas looked around frantically before his eyes widened. I saw determination, fear, and defiance in those hazel-green eyes.

He scrambled down two flights of stairs into what I presumed to be the basement, opened a door that led outside, and sprinted to a shed that was in the backyard. I followed close behind him, curious yet afraid. After we reached the shed, he wrenched the door open, rummaged around inside, and pulled out a rather heavy-looking container of gasoline.

"With this!" He said triumphantly. My eyes widened.

"Oh my God. Dallas, Dallas, you gotta think this through, man!" I said, not caring that he couldn't hear me. I could only watch as he ran back into the house, me hot on his heels, and started pouring the container on everything in sight. After everything was properly doused, he pulled out a box of matches from a drawer, lit one, took a deep breath, and hurled it with as much strength as he could.

The last thing I saw before I was thrown backward was a house in flames and one of my closest friends collapsing onto the ground, screaming his head off. I landed flat on my butt back in the blue and black void, closed my eyes for a moment, and tried to process everything.

"Did I just witness one of my closest friends attempt to burn his house down because...because..." Realization crept into my voice, and I almost clapped my hands over my mouth, choosing to let out a loud gasp instead.

"Dallas has a Squip!" I said in alarm. Then, another thought entered my mind.

"His Squip said something about 'us'...how do you plan on stopping us..." I murmured. Before I could even think about elaborating, I felt a wave of fatigue hit me like a truck. Groaning in slight pain, I collapsed onto the ground and closed my eyes, falling asleep near instantly.


	15. A new day

I opened my eyes to the sound of my alarm clock chiming.

"It's morning already?" I asked sleepily, reaching down to grab my phone and silence the alarm.

As soon as I pressed my finger to the fingerprint sensor on the back, I hissed due to how bright my screen was. After turning my brightness down and silencing the alarm, I sat up straight and looked around, the events of yesterday playing on a constant repeat in my mind.

Did that really just happen?

Did I get a supercomputer in my brain that not only looks and sounds like Jason Tam, probably one of the most gorgeous people on the planet but said supercomputer almost got me to hang out with two of the most popular girls in school?

"Hello?" I asked, tapping my forehead with my finger. "Are you on? Hellooo?" Suddenly, I heard my dad call from across the hall.

"Falner? Are you talking to yourself?" He asked. I looked down at my comforter, confused.

"I...guess I am. Huh." I reasoned, then hopped out of bed and strolled over to my computer. I smoothly took a seat in my black desk chair, grabbing my mouse with one hand and the screen of the computer with the other.

"C-c-c-c'mon, c-c-c-c'mon, go-!" I cut myself off with a yelp of pain, feeling a shock race down my spine. "Ow!" My Squip materialized next to me, his arms crossed.

"What did we say about masturbation?" He asked. I rubbed the back of my neck, swinging around to face him. My face was probably as red as the Coke can next to me.

"I was just going to...check my school email," I said, half-lying. He raised an eyebrow.

"You can't lie to me, Falner. I'm inside your brain," he said, tapping the center of my forehead with his finger as a reminder. "Now, we're going to devise a system: I tally every time you think about sex, and that's how many push-ups you do. If this morning is an indicative sample, you'll look great in no time." He said. He then glanced at my glasses, frowned slightly, and waved his hand. My vision went black for a moment, much to my surprise, and after a couple of seconds, I could see again. He reached forward and took off my glasses, and I blinked slowly.

"Woah...I-I can...I can see!" I said in awe, looking down at my hands. No longer was anything blurry. Everything was crystal clear. "How did you do that?!" I asked, looking up at my Squip with teary eyes and a smile on my face. He smiled back and gently kissed my forehead.

"I have access to your optic nerves. I fixed your vision. You won't need these anymore." He said, setting my glasses down. I jumped at him and crushed him in a hug, whispering "thank you" over and over. He let out a light laugh and pushed me off of him, wiping my happy tears away with his fingers.

"You're welcome. Now, shall we start the day?" He asked. I nodded excitedly, standing up and hurrying to the bathroom, giving myself a look in the mirror.

I looked about the same as ever, aside from the blush that never seemed to leave my cheeks. I knew exactly why, too: even though he probably didn't mean it, my Squip was...well, blush-inducing. The way he said things, the way he seemed to always find a way to be physical with me...I could go on, but I'd take up an entire chapter.

"Coming through, private." My dad called, breezing in, grabbing his toothbrush, and walking back out.

"That's the source of your genetic material?" My Squip asked. I nodded slightly, feeling a tinge of pride in my voice.

"That's my dad, yeah," I said. He looked at me, then back to the direction my dad had walked.

"We should double those push-ups." He murmured. I rolled my eyes slightly, brushing my teeth and washing my face with almost supersonic speed, walking out of my house completely ready for school in a matter of minutes.

As the bus pulled up right on time, I hopped on and moved to my usual spot. I looked behind me at the popular kids and was surprised to see Hope give me a happy wave. I smiled and waved back at her, turning my attention back to the front of the bus.

The bus slowed to a stop in front of my high school, and I was one of the first people off, sprinting into the building at a speed that would make even Barry Allen jealous. My Squip took a look around and nodded slightly, a smile on his face. He then looked at me.

"One of the first things you need to know about me, Falner, is that I'm a learning computer. With every interaction, I evolve," he said, leading me through the atrium and down to the English hallway. "Simply walk down the hallway and observe." I nodded at him and slowly started walking, taking in everything around me with new eyes. Dallas ran towards Jade and fist-bumped him.

"Oh, what up bruh, kicks look bangin'!" He chirped, gesturing to Jade's shoes. Jordans, I think. Jade laughed slightly and gave him a playful shove.

"Shut up dawg, when we hangin'?" He asked. Dallas seemed to think for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"Ask me later, yeah?" He suggested. Jade nodded, then both boys spoke in unison.

"We'll sync up!" Dallas scampered off. My Squip placed his hand on my shoulder and gestured to Jade.

"This one participates in sports and clubs to avoid the feeling that, deep down, he'll never be good enough." He commented. I raised an eyebrow and glanced between him and Jade, who didn't seem to notice me.

"But...Jade's popular." I said. My Squip shrugged.

"Those facts are not mutually exclusive." He said, chuckling. I felt confused, but before I could say anything, Tempest and Hope breezed in. Jade had ducked into a classroom that I could only assume was for his first-period class.

"I'm shook, I'm blah, I'm just-" Tempest started before Hope cut her off by placing her hand on her shoulder.

"There, there!" She chirped. Tempest glared at her with a look that, if looks could kill, would have rendered her dead in seconds.

"Hope!" She snapped. Hope shrank back, biting her lip and fidgeting with her hands.

" 'm sorry..." She mumbled. Tempest shook her head.

"It's not fair." She sighed.

"Yeah!" Hope chimed in again, a little less enthusiastically this time. Tempest gave her a smile.

"I know!" She said, then both girls spoke in unison.

"Oh, we so sync up!" Hope hurried into a classroom. My Squip glanced at Tempest with intrigue.

"That one is obsessed with status because she's scared of losing it." He said. I audibly wheezed.

"Tempest isn't scared of anything!" I said. He clicked his tongue in disapproval, cupping my chin in his hands and making me look up at him.

"Everyone is scared of something, my dear. The most dangerous people are the ones who pretend they're not." He said. Those words chilled me to my bones. I blinked at him, staring into his eyes before being snapped out of it by seeing Rose hurry over to Tempest, who had started leaning against her locker.

"Oh, oh, Tempest!" She chirped. "Guess who I saw at the mall last night!" Tempest rolled her eyes.

"Not now, Rose!" She snapped. Rose shrank back, then seemed to muster up her courage.

"...with Jade!" She added. Tempest's blue eyes narrowed.

"I want details." She growled. Rose giggled slightly and leaned up to whisper in her ear. As they talked, my Squip gestured to Rose with one hand, making me look over at her.

"Rose Kleinman, bless her heart, uses gossip to get attention from her peers, but as soon as she shares it, they ignore her." Almost as if she was proving his point, Tempest stormed off, leaving Rose alone at her locker.

"That's...really sad," I said softly. "What should I do?" He gave her a cursory glance, then shook his head.

"You should ignore her." He commented. I shook my head and walked over to her.

"Hi. You're Rose, right?" I asked. She looked up at me.

"And you're Falner Greyson. What happened to your glasses? Did you get laser eye surgery or something?" She asked. I shrugged, laughing awkwardly.

"Y-You could...say that!" I squeaked. She raised an eyebrow, then smiled.

"You look good without 'em. People can finally see how pretty your eyes are." She commented. My cheeks turned red.

"Th-Thank...you...?" I felt like a fish out of water. My Squip raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Hey, listen, um...you're a part of Midsummer, right?" She asked. I nodded.

"Mmhm. Your resident Lysander. Why do you ask?" I replied. She smiled almost shyly.

"Well...rumor has it that there's gonna be a whole school dance themed to the show, and I was wondering...if I could be your Hermia? Just for a night, though, th-then you can go back to...persuing whoever you want, romantically." She asked. I gave her a smile and took her hands in mine.

"I'd be honored, sweet Hermia," I said. She giggled, her cheeks blooming red, then leaned close and pecked my cheek.

"Then I guess I'll see you at rehearsal! Bye, Falner!" She chirped, scampering off. After a moment, I let out a light laugh.

"Wow. She's...wonderful." I whispered.

"Interesting," my Squip commented. "I can sense that your romantic interest has...shifted to this new party. Perhaps you and I should get to know Rose a little more, hm?" I turned red and tried to sputter a reply, but was cut off by Dallas - how the fuck did he get here so fast?! - pinning me against the lockers.

"Yo, short-ass. Where's my money?" He growled. I turned about three shades paler.

"Shit. What do I tell Dallas?" I asked my Squip, panicking internally. He looked at Dallas, then back to me, a determined spark in his eyes.

"Up, up, down, down, left, right, A." He said calmly. Dallas stiffened, then put me down and hugged me tightly.

"You got one!" He said. His voice had lowered to a whisper, so as not to alert everyone around us.

"Yeah. Sorry, I meant to go through you but...um...pleasedonthurtme." I said quickly. He laughed slightly, hugging me again.

"Falner! This is awesome! I mean, I coulda used the money. Things are kinda rough at home if you know what I'm sayin'..." He looked slightly embarrassed, and I couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for him. My Squip's eyes lit up as he placed one hand right where my collarbone met my spine, and I suddenly felt less in control of my own actions.

"Yeah...my dad...drinks too?" I said, giving my Squip a surprised look after I finished. Dallas gave me a grin, slapping my back with much less force than before.

"Yo, fucking dads, right?! He usually passes out by nine, you should come over, play Xbox. You know with a Squip, the only controller you need...is your mind!" He said excitedly. I nodded slightly.

"Thanks, man. It'd be nice to catch up." I said truthfully. He smiled at me, then hurried off down the hall. "What was that about?" I asked my Squip, who was still floating next to me.

"I synced with his Squip. Now his desires are compatible with your own." He replied. I gasped slightly.

"So, my dream was right! Dallas does have a Squip!" I said in shock and awe. He raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"Dream?" He asked. I gave him an incredulous look.

"Honey, you're in my head. You see everything. Surely you've seen those wacky dreams that revolve around my friends?" I countered, almost relishing in the way he stiffened.

"I have not. I will look into them, though," He mused. I chuckled lightly.

"So, syncing with his Squip makes him act like we're friends again?" I asked. He gave me one of his condescending smirks.

"What is friendship but a bond between two people? Now you and Dallas have a bond. It's just...digital." He said confidently. Before we could start walking, Hope ran up to me, smiling brightly.

"Bonjour, Falner!" She chirped.

"Oh, Hope!" I said quickly, giving her a smile. She tugged at the collar of my Eminem shirt.

"I'm sure digging this new look! Hella retro and très Bonsoir!" She giggled. "That was French." I nodded.

"Oui!" Hooray for knowing one word in French.

"At the very least, you didn't say your usual "hon hon hon, baguette." comment." my Squip muttered.

"We? We what?" Hope asked, tilting her head like a confused puppy. I chuckled slightly.

"Uh, how was Pinkberry?" I asked. She gasped slightly and took my hands in hers.

"Scary. I have some issues with dairy." She confided. I was about to say something before Tempest shouted from the classroom she was in.

"Hope!"

Hope smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, bye." She said softly. I smiled at her.

"Let's sync up!" I suggested. She beamed, pecked my nose, then hurried off. Two kisses from two beautiful girls. How lucky am I? My Squip grinned at me.

"You see, Falner? Life is not unlike a video game. And in a video game, success requires just two things: Good hand-eye coordination..." He grabbed my hands, his voice taking on an almost determined tone. "...and a cheat code!" He finished. He then spun me around and dipped me down, planting a kiss on my lips. I melted underneath him and reached up to grab his shoulders. After a moment, he pulled away.

"Three kisses in one day. My lucky girl." He purred, squeezing my cheek. I was red-faced, panting, and a little too blissed out to reply. He then grabbed me by the shoulders and led me through the flood of students as the bell rang, signaling that everyone should be getting to class.

As we walked, I could have sworn I saw a familiar flash of a Megaman hoodie, just like the one Eli wore...but maybe I was just dreaming.

(Timeskip time, boyes)

I let out a rather content sigh, walking down the hall.

"All in all, a not too heinous day," I said to myself. "I've walked the halls with purpose as I swagger on my way. I'm feelin' crisp and high and clean, now onto play practice...with Rose, Hope, and Christine..." I stopped before I entered the auditorium, feeling a chill run down my spine. My Squip put his hand on my shoulder blade, and I felt an immediate rush of warmth flow from his hand through my entire body.

"Why so nervous?" He asked softly. I shook my head.

"Only the fact that I'm going in to face the girl of my dreams alongside two girls who I have a massive crush on after getting a supercomputer implanted in my head so that everyone will notice me." I rambled. He let out a soft laugh, walking in front of me, taking me by the wrist, and leading me into the auditorium.


	16. What is love? (Baby don't hurt me-)

[Christine's POV]

I leaned back in the teal blue chair I was sitting in. No one had really shown up for rehearsal yet, so I had the theater to myself for a bit. As I tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear, I noticed Tempest Kora, Hope Commonfeather and Rose Kleinman stroll up, Tempest leading the pack.

"Is this seat saved?" She asked, gesturing to the chair next to me. I nodded slightly, setting my own chair down back onto the stage.

"Oh, yeah-!" I was cut off by her swiftly sitting down, Rose and Hope taking seats adjacent to her.

"Rose said she saw you at the mall with Jade last night." She said almost accusingly. I nodded again, slower this time.

"Yeah, that's... who it's saved for..." I trailed off. Hope tilted her head.

"Rose?" She asked. Rose looked up from her phone, confusion evident on her face.

"Uh, I'm right here." She said, waving her hand like a flag, then returning her attention back to her phone. Tempest looked at me with something that resembled pity.

"Jade's not coming." She said.

"Is he sick?" I asked, concern seeping into my voice. She shook her head.

"He's at Model U.N. Or whatever it is this week. You know Jade. Always jumping from one...extracurricular to another." She looked me up and down as she spoke, and I suddenly felt a lot more self-conscious. Did I look okay? Was I wearing the right outfit? I felt my cheeks warm up.

"I don't know him that well..." I murmured. She reached out and squeezed my shoulder, that vaguely pitying expression still on her face.

"Well, he loves to try new things. He just doesn't always stay with them after he...tries them. If you know what I-!" The realization hit me in the face harder than the chandelier hit the stage in Phantom, and I quickly jumped in with "We're just friends!" Tempest's expression went from pitying to puzzled.

"What?" She asked.

"I know you guys used to date. So, if that's what this is about..." I said, trailing off at the end and letting the unspoken words just hang in the air. She stiffened slightly, then gave me a smile that looked faker than her eyelashes.

"Oh my god no! Jade and I are totally over!" She said, laughing slightly. Hope nodded from beside her.

"Yeah, he's so gross." She commented. Tempest's face flushed red as she turned to face her.

"He's not gross, Hope!" She hissed. Hope shrank back slightly, allowing Tempest to regain her composure and turn back to me, that fake smile still plastered to her face.

"Friends. I'm so glad. Because, real talk, I would hate for you to think that the reason Jade's not here...is he's already bored of you," She said softly, poking my chest with her finger. She then gave me a smirk, standing up. "Bye!" She called, strolling backstage with Hope and Rose in tow. Before they were completely out of earshot, I heard Tempest hiss to Rose "Jade better not be inviting her to his Halloween party." I buried my face in my skirt, wishing I could just disappear. I then heard footsteps walking into the auditorium and raised my head to see who it was.

"Falner...?" I asked mostly to myself, keeping my voice down so that she wouldn't hear. She looked different. Her posture was straighter, her strides were more confident and calm, and I could just feel this...oddly soothing aura emitting from her. I felt an immediate sense of relief as she walked over, her eyes brightening slightly as I gave her a small smile.

[Falner's POV]

Christine's smile made my heart melt. I walked onto the stage, then gestured to the open seat next to her. "Is this seat taken?" I asked gently. Her face fell as she looked from the seat to me.

"I...don't know." She said softly. I felt my spine tingle, signaling that my Squip was controlling me again, and I heard myself speak.

"Then how about I sit here til whoever shows up?" She looked at the chair again, then managed a small smile.

"Sure." She said. I felt in control of myself again and sat down. She looked me over, then tilted her head. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What?" I asked.

"At the mall yesterday, you were acting really-!" My Squip and I cut her off with "Performance art." spoken in eerie unison.

"Oh," Christine replied, sounding slightly meek. She then smiled again. "Cool." Mr. Baruchel walked out from backstage and clapped his hands, Christine and I quickly move to spread the remaining seats out so that they resembled a circle, moving back to sit next to each other after we were finished.

"Let's begin, people! Curtains rise on Athens...Georgia. The Center for Disease Control." He called. Rose stood up and began to speak.

"Now fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws aspace... Bring me Patient Zero!" She said dramatically. Hope entered from offstage, screaming her head off and almost dragging Tempest along behind her. After Hope finished screaming, Tempest looked between her and Rose, then let out a rather enthusiastic cough. Hope's eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Doctor, why is her cheek so pale? How chance the roses there fade so fast?" She asked. Rose gave her a rather stern look.

"She has been attacked in the wasteland. Some say it's fairies. Some say it's spirits. Some say it's the return of the hostile alien race who visited our fair planet one thousand years ago this midsummer..." As she continued to monologue, I leaned over to whisper to Christine, thankful that the scene concealed us from Mr. Baruchel's view.

"So, where's Jade?" I asked. Christine looked at me with something that resembled annoyance.

"How should I know?" She replied. I tilted my head, internally freaking out over the fact that I annoyed her.

"You guys aren't going out?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Nope."

My eyes widened. "REALLY?!" I shouted, and I noticed Christine turn almost as pale as me. Everyone looked at us with annoyance, and Mr. Baruchel spoke after a moment.

"Miss Greyson! Your script is closed. Which I can only assume means you've memorized your entire part. Please: regale us," He said, gesturing to me. I was frozen in place. He looked at me expectantly, then rolled his eyes. "Or perhaps you're simply wasting our-!" Suddenly, I stood up quickly and began to speak.

"If we zombies have offended, think but this and all is mended. That we have but landed here while these spaceships did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream...Or is it?" Silence hung in the air after I finished, the echo of the words dying away. Mr. Baruchel cleared his throat.

"Well! It seems the rest of you can learn from Miss Greyson's commitment to the craft," He said simply. I sat back down to a myriad of looks. Christine was shocked, Rose looked lovestruck, Hope was elated, and Tempest was annoyed. After another brief moment of silence, Mr. Baruchel called "Hot Pocket break!" and strolled out. Almost everyone else followed him, save for myself and Christine.

"You're welcome," my Squip whispered, making me jump slightly in surprise. Christine looked at me, awe evident in her eyes.

"You're really into this." She commented. I nodded slightly, shrugging and trying to pass myself off as semi-indifferent.

"Why else would I be here?" I replied. She looked down at her feet.

"Yeah...right..." She murmured. She then looked back at me and scooted closer. "Can I ask you something?"

My Squip let out a soft chuckle. "You can ask me anything." He said softly. I swallowed thickly, then repeated his words.

"You can ask me anything." Christine sighed softly but was smiling.

"This is weird...but say there's this person you pass in the hall every day. You've known them since seventh grade. You're used to thinking about them in a certain way from the persona that they display. And then something changes...and they just...change...from someone that you'd never be into, into someone that you'd kinda be into. From someone that I'd never be into, into someone that I'd kinda be into. Are they worth it?" She took my hands in hers, and there was no missing the blush on my cheeks.

"Falner? Are they?" She asked. I nodded slightly, then addressed my Squip.

"Is she talking about...me?" I asked. He nodded, smiling.

"Of course she is. I've been activating your pheromones," He replied, nudging my ribs with his elbow. "Keep it up!" He sounded proud. Christine tilted her chair back for a moment, sighing to the ceiling, then let the chair slam back onto the stage as she continued speaking.

"Say there's this person that you never knew that well. You thought that you had 'em pegged but now you can tell they've gone from someone that you'd never be into, into someone that you'd kinda be into. From someone that I'd never be into, into someone that I'd kinda be into. Are they worth it? Falner?" She squeezed my hands, making me realize that yes, indeed, she was holding them.

"Absolutely!" My Squip and I said in unison. She smiled shyly.

"I don't always relate to other people my age, except when I'm on the stage. And there are so many changes that I'm going through...and why am I telling this to you?" She seemed to have a realization, and her smile became much more genuine.

"Guess there's a part of me that wants to," She giggled slightly. "I guess a part of me wants, who knew? I guess a part of me likes to talk to you. I guess a part of me likes to, who knew? I guess a part of me likes to sit with you. I guess a part of me likes to, who knew? I guess a part of me likes to hang with you. I guess a part of me-!" She was cut off by Mr. Baruchel re-entering.

"Hot Pocket break over, people!" He shouted. Christine visibly deflated.

"Back to play rehearsal...I-I know that it's weird but it's totally true..." She said, looking up at me. "Someone that I'd kinda be into..." I looked at her and gave her a smile.

"Someone that you'd kinda be into?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Someone that I'd kinda be into is...Jade," She finished, beaming at me. "Thanks for listening to me, Falner." My face turned red.

"Wait, what?!" I asked. Suddenly, I felt my Squip grab me by the collar of my shirt.

"Warning, warning." He repeated, literally dragging me out of the auditorium.


	17. Squip gets an idea. An awful idea.

I wanted to struggle against the grip on my collar, but it felt like I was just a puppet on a string, forced to obey my master. My Squip dropped me in the hallway across from the auditorium, pacing back and forth after he let me go. I rubbed the back of my now-aching neck.

"What the hell was that about?!" I shouted. He glared at me and I felt my blood run cold.

"I'm sorry, Falner, but that girl does not see you as relationship material!" He replied. I clenched my fists.

"Yeah, I know! That's why I got you!" I retaliated. He had the gall to laugh.

"And you're sure you want her ?! There are many females at this school. I'm accessing footage from the girl's volleyball practice, and it's very impressive." He said. His eyes blinked a rainbow of colors for a moment before settling back on their normal neon blue. I let out a low, angered sigh.

"I want Christine," I said simply. He moved in front of me, grabbed my chin, and made me look at him.

"You're sure about that?" He cooed. I flushed red.

"Y-Yes...?" I said slowly. He laughed softly, letting me go.

"Mm, you don't seem too sure, my pet," He teased. "Are you sure there isn't...anyone else you might want to pursue?" My heart felt like it was beating out of my ribcage.

Did I want Christine?

Or did I want Hope?

Or Rose?

Hell, did I want my Squip?!

...

The realization hit me like a brick:

I wanted all four of them.

I swallowed hard and shrank away from my Squip, slumping down against the wall.

"...I-I..." I couldn't form coherent words. He walked over to me and knelt down so that we were eye to eye.

"Hm...I can sense that you're conflicted. I don't blame you," he said. "Your three eligible bachelorettes are all quite beautiful in their own right. Christine has that theater drive that keeps you going, Hope's bubbly personality makes you smile, and Rose...oh, dear, sweet Rose, she just makes your heart flutter, doesn't she?" I was silent for a moment before speaking.

"You're missing someone." My voice was soft and almost meek. He raised an eyebrow.

"Who's number four, then?" He asked. I looked at him for a moment, then looked back at my legs.

"...you," I mumbled. He looked aghast.

"Me? You have a romantic interest in me?" He asked. He sounded both awestruck and disgusted. I nodded slightly and felt tears prickling in the corners of my eyes.

"Yes. I want all four of you. Hope, Rose, Christine, and you. I-I can't choose. Please, just...h-help me..." I cried, burying my face into my knees. He was silent for a moment before he let out a quiet sigh and tilted my chin up, wiping my tears.

"I will do everything in my power to get you into a relationship with the three women of your choosing." He said softly. I blinked at him, feeling more tears run down my cheeks.

"Wh-What about you?" I asked. He sighed again.

"I...I will do everything in my power to give you what you desire, Falner. And if I am what you desire, I am yours to take." He replied.

I pulled him into a hug. "S-So...how do I get Hope, Rose, and Christine?" I asked. He slowly rubbed my back, kissed my cheek, then pulled back. His face showed nothing but regret.

"You can't." He replied.

"What?!" I asked, panicked. He silenced me with a wave of his hand.

"Shh. Not yet. Becoming the kind of girl who can impress those three requires a lot more than...working out a few bugs." He gestured to my body with his free hand.

"You're going to need to reboot your reputation. Supercharge your social standing. You need to upgrade." He said. I raised an eyebrow in confusion as he waved his hand again, allowing me to speak.

"What?" I asked.

"You need to get popular," He murmured, then seemed to get an idea, his eyes lighting up. "Tear ducts, activate." He commanded. I felt a jolt go down my spine and felt my eyes water. Soon enough, I had the human equivalent of Niagara Falls streaming down my face. Through my blurry vision, I saw Hope run over to me and put her arm around me in a comforting way.

"Falner! I've been looking for you!" She said. I sniffled, wiping at my eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, I just...don't know why I'm crying," I said truthfully. She gave me a gentle hug.

"Well, I do." She replied. I tilted my head.

"Y-You do?" She nodded.

"And I totally understand. They're saying it was a freak hockey accident." I felt my face morph into an expression of pure confusion.

"Wait, wh-what are you talking about?" I couldn't help but ask. She put her hand over her mouth and gasped.

"Oh my God. You don't know...?!" She said in shock. I looked at her helplessly, and she looked ready to burst.

"Eminem's dead!" She finished.

"Eminem's dead?!" I asked in shock before dissolving into another burst of tears. Hope held me close.

"I mean, I was never into him because he was like super old and kinda mean to women, but I know you liked him so..." As she spoke, I turned to my Squip with an accusatory glare.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" I asked. He smirked.

"Of course not."

"So it's a coincidence you told me to wear this shirt?" I whisper-yelled, wiping my eyes. He leaned down so that he was my height, still smirking at me.

"Of course not~" He purred. It took my brain a second to process, but once it did, I felt my face heat up.

"Wait did...did you KILL EMINEM ?!" I screamed. He shook his head.

"No...oooot exactly," He admitted. "My quantum processor allows me to envision probable futures. While I did not know that, today, Eminem would be impaled by that rogue hockey stick, I was aware of the probability of a...favorable outcome." That goddamn condescending, shit-eating smirk never left his face. I felt...angry. Incredibly so.

"Favorable for who?!" I growled. Suddenly, I felt Hope's hand on my arm.

"It's okay, Falner," She said, giving me a rather timid smile. "You don't have to be alone right now."


	18. Take the upgrade

"You need to get popular. Here is a popular girl who likes you. You need to go where she leads." My Squip instructed. I looked at Hope, finally realizing that my tears had stopped. She smiled again, leading me out of the hallway, out the front doors, and behind the school. We walked through a small forest path for a bit before reaching a lake. I remembered coming out here for my Biology class in my sophomore year, and I inhaled the crisp fall air. Hope giggled softly.

"This is my favorite place behind the school," She said, then took my hands in hers. They were nice and warm compared to my corpse-like coldness. "Being here with you right now...Our future is so clear. Our union is so near!" She chirped. I couldn't help but blush as red as the leaves on the trees. "Being here with you right now, I'll tenderly guide you-!" I noticed that both Hope and my Squip were speaking. Suddenly, Hope stopped, but my Squip kept going, leaning in behind me to whisper in my ear.

"Just take me inside you forever~"

I had to stop myself from letting out an audible sound, choosing to scream internally. Holy shit, what was I getting myself into?! He chuckled lowly, moving out to take Hope's place in front of me. "Your life was so pitiful before. Now it's time to go all the way and more. You gotta' get an upgrade." He said. I looked confused.

"Upgrade?" I repeated. He nodded.

"Upgrade," He then took my hands in a similar way Hope did before. "You gotta' get an upgrade." He sounded like he was pleading with me. I shook my head, pulling away.

"Upgrade..." I said softly, looking down. I wanted to ask what the upgrade was, but a part of me was saying to just leave it be and see where things go. He snapped his fingers, and I straightened up.

"Don't worry about the guilt you feel. Just take a breath and seal the deal," He said, grabbing my hand, spinning me around, and dipping me like we were a married couple. I let out a squeak of surprise. He grinned down at me. "Damn! Gotta' get an upgrade! You gotta' get an upgrade!" He said, almost tossing me into Hope's arms.

She caught me, but he must've thrown me with a lot more force than expected, because the two of us tumbled down head over heels, landing a few feet away from each other. I burst out laughing, Hope almost immediately following my lead.

[Christine's POV]

Could this day get any worse? First, I get targeted by the popular girls because I just happen to like the ex-boyfriend of one of them, then I end up indirectly making that situation worse, and finally, my closest theater friend just straight up leaves rehearsal. What's next? I wake up to realize that my life's a dream and I've been living in the Matrix for my whole life? I sighed softly, sitting on the bench outside the school and staring up at the flagpole. The American flag waved proudly in the wind, and the sun shined down on me. The sun turned to shade after a moment, mostly because someone was standing in front of me.

"Hey," I recognized the soft voice as Jade's, and I immediately turned away from him and busied myself with my backpack. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "What, you're not even gonna say hi?" He asked. I turned to look at him.

"I was. At rehearsal." I replied coldly. He sighed, sitting next to me.

"I wanted to be there...but, it's the same time as archery..." He sounded genuinely saddened.

"It's okay, really-" I started to speak, but he cut me off.

"Which is why I had to tell the coach I quit." He finished. I looked at him, shocked.

"What?" He gave me a smile.

"I don't wanna do every extracurricular at school. I just wanna do yours," He said. "I was never the sort of guy to feel all the feels. But since I met you, I've been high-key tryna change what's in my psyche. Tryna be a better man, and that's for reals. I'm sick of playing the role I'm s'posed to play..." He took my hands in his, making me blush slightly.

"Christine, don't you ever feel that way?" He asked.

"I-I..." I couldn't form any words. He pulled me up so that we were standing, holding me in a graceful, dancer-esque pose.

"Never hung with a girl like you before, and I don't know if you know it, but I am sure that, for me, you are an upgrade!" He said excitedly. I blushed, smiling at him.

"Upgrade?" I said. He nodded.

"Upgrade! Let's be each other's upgrade!" He's...really cute when he's excited.

"Oh wow!" I giggled softly, relishing in the smile on his face.

"You're my upgrade." He said simply.

"Well, I'm flattered. This is new," I said, then looked down at my feet. "Still, I'm not sure what I should do..." Almost as if he could hear the apprehension in my voice, he took my hands in his and gave them a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"You gotta' take the upgrade." He said. I smiled, both of us speaking in unison.

"Gotta' take the upgrade!" Jade spun me around and smiled brightly at me.

"Hey, you should come over! I've got a big house and it gets kinda lonely without my parents." He said. I laughed a bit.

"Aww..."

He raised an eyebrow, looking defensive. "Hey, that's funny?" He asked. I shook my head and quickly backtracked.

"No, no. I-I'm sorry, it's just... the poor lonely rich boy routine kinda sounds like..." I trailed off.

"An act," he continued right where I left off, somehow guessing my train of thought. "I guess you'd know about that, Juliet." I flushed redder than before.

"Wha-?" I tried to speak, but he cut me off.

"When's the last time you tried something new? Not on a stage?" He asked, then held me close.

"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am." His voice was a whisper. I nodded slightly and closed my eyes, relaxing into his arms.

"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am..." I whispered.

[Falner's POV]

Hope and I snuggled closer to each other, sitting on the leafy forest floor. My Squip was leaning against a tree, his eyes showing pride and jealousy. Hope giggled softly as she played with a few loose strands of my hair.

"Hey, can I tell you something?" She asked. I nodded, floating in bliss. She bit her lip and moved to sit in my lap, much to my surprise.

"When I'm with Tempest, people always look at her first. But at the mall?" She giggled, and it sounded shyer than before. "You looked at me." She cupped my face in her hands, and for a moment, I thought she was going to kiss me. She let out a soft sigh. "It's like, Tempest's my best friend, but sometimes I'm tired of always being her..."

"Player two..." I said softly, finishing her thought with my own.

_Player two._

_Player two._

_Who was my player two?_

_Who was my..._

_Who..._

"I just want someone to see me first." Hope sighed. I nodded slowly and held her close.

"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am," I whispered. She nodded slightly and repeated my words.

"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am."

After a few solid minutes, she stood up, but not before kissing me gently.

"I have to go. Thanks for listening to me, Falner," she said softly. "You're something special, y'know?" I gave her a smile as she walked out of the forest, and I simply stared at my Squip, who watched her leave before turning back to me.

"You've done well," he commented. "You deserve a break. I'll get out of your head for a bit so you can collect your thoughts." And just like that, he was gone, leaving me alone. I stood up, brushed myself off, and hurried into the school building, almost slamming into someone.

"Shit, I'm so sor..." The words died on my lips as the person turned around. Dark, brownish-black hair. Blue eyes that were red and puffy, a sign that he had been crying. I couldn't believe it.

"E-Eli?!" I asked in surprise. He gave me a rather icy glare, turning around and starting to walk away. "Oh my God, I'm so glad to see you!" I said. He turned to look back at me.

"Really? So you haven't been avoiding me all day?" He asked. I was surprised by the venom in his voice.

"What are you talking about? I haven't seen you since...since..." I could almost physically feel the realization hit me, and I felt my face turn about five shades redder. "Reactivate," I whispered, my Squip appearing in an instant.

"It's called optic nerve blocking." He said. I glared at him.

"Why haven't I seen Eli all da- wait, what?!" I said, my voice turning surprised by the end. He floated behind Eli and placed his hands on his shoulders. I felt my body stiffen, wanting to jump over and just protect my friend from all of the shit that was going on at the moment.

"I have access to your optic nerves. I have been blocking Eli from your field of vision." He reached up and combed a few loose strands of Eli's hair out of his face. Eli jumped in surprise and looked around, trying to find what just touched him. I flushed, then noticed that Eli had stopped looking for my Squip, and his expression had gone from angry to concerned.

"Falner? Why're you standing there all...creepy and stuff?" He asked softly. I couldn't bear to speak, choosing to helplessly look up at my Squip, who moved to stand between Eli and me after a moment.

"Eli is a link to Falner 1.0. To upgrade...you have to be willing to make sacrifices." He said, his voice low and coaxing. Eli walked through him, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Seriously, what's up with you? You've been acting shady ever since...since..." He trailed off, looking into my eyes. "It worked, didn't it?" I looked down, then nodded slightly. He let out a light laugh, pulling me into a hug.

"Falner! That's amazing! We gotta test it out! No, we gotta celebrate, we gotta-!" His voice sounded more and more excited with every word. "We gotta get a sugar high in your basement!" He chirped. Before I could open my mouth and take his offer, my Squip suddenly appeared between us.

"You know what you have to do. Sever your ties. Otherwise, you both drown." He whispered.


	19. Regrets

I looked up at my Squip, then looked past him at Eli. "I'll be right back," I said. Eli nodded.

"I'll be here!" He said happily. I gave him a small smile, turning around and waking out of the hallway, locking myself in the closest classroom.

"I already know what it's like to...be the loser..." My voice was soft and slightly sadder than before. "I should find out what it's like to...not...be the loser...or the geek...or the...whatever." My voice broke on the last word, and I felt tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

"I think I felt inconsequential since middle school began. I knew I had no potential to be the leading man," I looked up at my surroundings. I was in my Chemistry classroom from junior year. God, I hated this room. I then looked at my Squip, who was leaning up against the doorway in a very Jason Dean styled pose.

"But based on how today's going, I'm finally gaining ground. I even got some blood flowing with no computer screen around. Which was cool." I addressed him as I spoke, watching him with a renewed sense of intrigue.

He looked at me much like a wolf looks at a coop of chickens, deciding which one to kill, but I saw a spark of curiosity in his ice-cold stare. "But what really felt good was doing something that I never thought that I could," I said softly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Care to elaborate on that?" He asked. I shook my head.

"It's not only school that's rough. Being lonely's stupid tough," I said, walking over to him. There was something determined about the way I suddenly held myself, making sure to look him in the eye. "Now, I think I've had enough of being the loser, the geek, or whatever. Eli thinks that weird is rad, but feeling weird just makes me sad. And I deserve to not feel bad from being the loser, the geek, or whatever. Sick of being the loser, the geek or whatever - yeah!" I said. He smiled at me - like, genuinely smiled- placing his hands on my waist and leading me in quite the impromptu dance.

We twirled around the classroom, making sure we didn't knock anything over, and I realized something: he felt much more physical than before. More human. As we stopped, I let out a light laugh and started speaking again, sitting on a desk near the front of the room.

"Dad taught me: "Follow your instincts! Trust your inner voice! Listen to your heart!" and such. My whole life I've followed my instincts. Well, guess what?! My instincts suck so much!" I tossed my hands in the air in a hopeless gesture, knowing that I was speaking from the heart. My Squip nodded slightly in understanding.

"So now I'm taking direction from another voice," I gestured to him as I said this, and I wouldn't trade the surprised look on his face for anything in the world. It had this strangely endearing quality to it. "If my instincts have an objection, then that means I'm making the right choice! Behaving this way feels bizarre..." I admitted, feeling a blush flare-up on my cheeks. "But if things keep up the way they are, then soon enough I'll get real far from being the loser, the geek, or whatever! If Hope can look me in the eye like I'm some normal handsome guy, I owe it to myself to try not being the loser, the geek, or whatever. Sick of being the loser, geek, or whatever - yeah!" I sounded more defiant than before.

"So, what you're saying is...you want to throw your past behind you and start anew." He said softly. I shrugged.

"To an extent. I can't do this without you," I said. "Listen. Prompt me, command me, and I'll obey! I have the bandwidth to do as you say!" Deep down in my heart, I knew I would regret those words, and that fear was amplified by a hundred as my brain quickly flashed back to my dream about Dallas. I shook my head, clearing it, and noticed that my Squip still had a firm hold on my waist. It wasn't enough to hurt, but it was enough to make me realize that he was still with me.

"Especially now, since I clearly see, the problem has always been me!" I was hit by a wave of emotions and couldn't help but scream-cry the words out. His expression softened considerably as he pulled me close, letting me cry into his shoulder.

"Take a breath...and get prepared..." I said softly, almost trying to pump myself up. "But still, I'm just a little scared. For who gets cut and who gets spared when I'm the cool dude, the hero, or whatever? If anyone likes me in the end, will I be able to pretend I didn't fail my one real friend...?" My voice broke again, and I buried my face into the fabric of my Squip's shirt.

God, I was a mess. He traced a circuit-esque pattern down my spine, and I felt a chill ripple through the air, wiping my eyes and looking at him after a moment's hesitation. "But that's the shit I normally would think. Get over it, get priorities in sync," I said the second part mostly to myself, feeling him let go of me. I hopped off of the desk, pacing around the room. "Just mute the voice inside your head, and connect to another source instead!" I looked at him as I said this.

"I've earned a right to selfishly be all for one and one for me. I've wasted all eternity, just being the loser, the geek, or whatever," I threw my arms out in a flourish, and there was no missing the grin on his face. It was predatory, conniving, and oh-so sinister. "I'm steady and the game's begun! I'm ready, set, I'm player one! The future's now, I'm freakin' done with being the weirdo, the wuss, the underdog. Being the misfit, the old school analog. Being the odd-ball, the weakling freak, the failure, the sucker, the "please don't speak!" I grabbed my head again, shutting every other voice out except for my own.

"Oh, I can hardly wait for the moment when I'm not the loser, the geek, or whatever. Oh, I'm not the loser, the geek, no never! No! I'm not the loser, the geek, or whatever. Ever again!" I shouted the words at the top of my lungs, throwing the classroom door open so hard it bounced back and almost slammed me in the face. I caught it, ran out of the room and down the three flights of stairs back to where I knew Eli was standing.

Sure enough, he was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. As I got closer, he opened his eyes and beamed at me.

"Falner! Are you coming?" He asked. I looked him in the eyes and felt my heart sink. He looked so...happy. Was I really going to do this? Was I really going to just abandon him like this? My Squip placed his hand on my shoulder for a moment before moving in between us again, holding out his hand.

"Sever your ties." He said, echoing his words from earlier.

I closed my eyes, let out a rather watery sigh, and grabbed his hand.

I'm sorry, Eli.

"Optic nerve blocking on," I whisper-cried, opening my eyes. Eli quickly disappeared from my vision, and my Squip gave me a grin.

"Now. Let's get to work." He said, putting an arm around me and leading me out of the building. It felt like there was a hole in my chest where my heart should've been.

Did I make the right choice?

Who knows.

I certainly don't.


	20. Hallo-whee!~

"October 31st, 2020. DEAR DIARY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, brushing the last few snarls out of my hair. "Picked out a costume for tonight, Squip told me to get a size that was a lot too tight. You can kinda see my business, but I'll act like I don't know." I said nonchalantly into the mirror, internally cursing my Squip for making me wear this particular costume.

I was dressed as the 'mythic bitch' herself, Heather Chandler: red button-down blouse, white collared shirt, plaid skirt, argyle socks, black heels, red lipstick, blue drain cleaner dripping down the side of my mouth and onto my neck. Oh, and I can't forget the bright red scrunchie that was holding my hair half up, half down.

"Tonight's the night. This is what we've been working towards. Are you ready?" My Squip asked from beside me. He looked different. His hair was silver, cut in a half-bob, and he was wearing a white trenchcoat with black circuits on it. I nodded slightly.

"Born ready, son," I replied, then looked at him with confusion. "Wait, is that your costume in a sense?" I asked. He nodded slightly.

"Yes. I may not be a physical being, but I still wish to celebrate this particular holiday." He replied. I was a little confused and opened my mouth to speak, then heard Dallas knocking at my door.

"Yo, short-ass, you coming or what?" He called. I nodded slightly.

"I'll be right there!" I replied, swinging my red messenger bag over my shoulder and bounding out of the room. Dallas, Rose, and Tempest all decided to get ready for Jade's Halloween party at my house.

"I got a condom!" He shouted to no one, seeming slightly surprised when he heard Rose laugh from downstairs

"And a flask!" Tempest called from my bathroom. Dallas laughed as well.

"I stole my dad's old Jason mask. Yet, I don't have a machete-" He pulled a baguette out of the bag that was sitting on his hip, brandishing it much like a knife, making me roll my eyes in amusement. "-but a loaf of bread will do!" He finished, suddenly whacking himself in the head with the baked good. "...ow." He mumbled. Rose came bouncing up the stairs, surveying Dallas and me.

"Oooh! Falner, you look gorgeous!" She commented, giving me a smile. I blushed slightly. She was dressed like Connor Murphy from Dear Evan Hansen, right down to the dark circles under her eyes.

"Thanks, Rose. You look amazing!" I commented. She beamed, grabbing my wrist and leading me downstairs. Dallas bounced down and crashed on the green and white couch closest to the TV while Rose and I moved to sit on the piano bench, our shoulders touching. I couldn't help but blush as red as my blouse as she scooted closer, giving me a smile.

"Glad to see you're making friends, Greyson," Tempest said from the top of the stairs, making me jump in surprise and turn to look at her. She was dressed like a baby, right down to a bottle that, to my knowledge, wasn't filled.

"Uh...thanks," I said slowly, knowing damn well I couldn't take her seriously while she was dressed like that. After a moment, Dallas stood up.

"Well, I'm our mode of transportation. Who's riding shotgun?" He asked. Tempest, Rose and I raised our hands all at once, making him let out a laugh and shake his head.

"Falner, you're riding up in front with me. Tempest and Rose, you're gonna have to get cozy in the back." He said. I nodded, then opened the door into the garage and stepped into the darkness, the rest of the group following my lead. Dallas's eyes seemed to glow in the dark as I pressed the button to open up the garage door, and I noticed a ball of neon blue light floating next to me for a moment.

"Keep me out of trouble, okay?" I muttered, walking out of the now-open garage and opening the door to Dallas's red truck, hopping into the passenger side seat. Dallas jumped into the driver's seat, and Rose and Tempest managed to squeeze their way into the back without much damage to their costumes.

"And we're off!" Dallas sang, starting the car, backing out of my driveway, and pulling away. I closed the garage door behind me, feeling an unexplained chill shoot down my spine. It didn't feel like one of my Squip's shocks. It felt more like the chills you get when you're in a haunted house or something. Something about this whole party felt off to me, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

(Time Squip - I mean skip)

We reached Jade's house a few hours later than expected, partially due to Tempest giving Dallas the wrong directions. As we pulled into the driveway, I could see the party raging inside. Windows were broken, people were flopped out on the ground outside, obviously drunk, and the music was blaring.

"Ahh, home sweet home!" Dallas laughed, putting the car in park and opening his door, jumping out and opening the passenger side door after a second. I gave him a grateful smile, hopping out myself and being extra careful not to slip and crack my head on the pavement due to my slippery three-inch black heels. Rose hopped out of the backseat, Dallas holding his hand out for Tempest to grab. I rolled my eyes at the blatantly flirtatious smile on her face and walked up to the front door, rapping my knuckles against it.

"Party's here, bitches!" I called. The door opened to reveal Jade standing in the doorway, excitement evident on his face.

"Hey, guys! Who's ready for my Halloween party?!" He asked, leading us all inside. "Check it! Everybody's got a red Solo cup. Fill it up, fill it up, hear the beer spill on the ground! Everybody's all like "'Sup! Yo man, 'sup! Let's catch up! Let's smoke up! Look how many drinks I've downed!" He laughed, spinning Rose and me around the living room, barely missing someone dressed as Pennywise from It in the process.

"Every single song's all like "Whoop!" They're all "Whoop!" We're like "Yup, turn it up!" as we stumble to the sound!" He cheered alongside the rest of the house. Rose and I looked at each other, shrugged, then began to shout as well.

"Cause a Halloween party's a rad excuse to put your body through mad abuse! And I might pass out but it's alright 'cause I'm Halloween partyin' hard tonight! Woo! It's Halloween! Woo! It's Halloween!" We all screamed. I broke away from the group, laughing near-hysterically, and almost slammed into Hope.

"Falner! I-I was afraid you weren't coming!" She stammered, blushing profusely and smiling up at me. I saw excitement shining in her eyes. "Did you get my messages?" She asked.

"Play it off." My Squip instructed.

"Am I late?" I feigned indifference. "Didn't even realize." She looked at me with a semblance of sadness, then perked up slightly as she twirled around herself.

"W-What do you think of my costume? I figured, you always see sexy cats, but no one ever goes as a sexy dog!" She chirped. She was wearing a dark grey dress that came to about her knees, a black choker with a bell on it, fluffy wolf ears and a very large, very fluffy wolf tail.

"It's uh..." I trailed off, at a loss for words. Thank God for the Squip.

"Vague compliment." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

"...Original." I managed to say before almost melting at the sadness in Hope's eyes, making me quickly retract my statement. "I mean, adorable. Seriously, I can't believe I'm here with a girl who looks like you." She smiled up at me, but almost immediately looked down at her feet.

"Tempest said it was dumb," She said softly. "You...need a drink." She walked off. I felt my heart sink as my Squip appeared next to me.

"Did you see the look on her face? She thought I stood her up!" I hissed. He laughed softly, patting the top of my head.

"And she was so excited when she realized you hadn't. People want what they don't have. Look who's here." He said, gesturing to the center of the room. Christine had walked in, dressed in the most elegant gown I had ever seen. Black lace, bright, almost neon blue accents and a red rose on the front of the bodice.

"Holy shit." I breathed. My Squip looked her up and down, then chuckled softly.

"Hm. The girl has good taste in colors." He said. I wanted to tell him to shut up but was transfixed at the sight in front of me. It looked like her hair had either grown longer, or she was wearing extensions. Either way, she was gorgeous.

[Christine's POV]

I walked into the party and was immediately hit with a wave of nervous nausea. I'm not usually the social type, especially not when it came to parties that weren't cast parties, but Jade had invited me to come as his plus one, so...how could I say no? I looked around and marveled at the different costumes I could see. Tempest was a sexy baby, Hope was a sexy wolf, Rose was Connor Murphy...and then my eyes landed on Falner, who was leaning against the wall and surveying her surroundings. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

She was dressed as Heather McFucking Chandler, right down to the drain cleaner nearly dripping off of her face. Before I could go over to her and compliment her on her outfit, I spotted Jade standing near someone dressed as Pennywise.

"Jade!" I called, hurrying over to him while being careful not to trip anyone with my giant skirt. He looked over at me and beamed. "I'm sorry I'm late." I apologized. He gently pat the top of my head, smiling.

"I didn't even realize." He said simply. I looked down at my concealed feet.

"Oh. Okay..." I said softly, then noticed his outfit. He was wearing a purple overcoat, white button-down, black pants, and black boots. His brown hair was all curled and pulled into some sort of afro. I raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we were going as prince and princess," I commented. He laughed slightly, gesturing to his outfit.

"Right. I'm Prince! What are you supposed to be?" He asked. I flushed almost as red as the rose on the bodice of my dress.

"I'm... Oh, never mind." I said, shaking my head. He looked surprised.

"Ohh..." He trailed off, leading to quite the awkward silence. After a moment, he coughed slightly. "You want a drink?" He asked. I nodded slightly, grateful.

"Sure-!" I got cut off by him patting my shoulder and taking off like a bullet.

"Cool, they're over there!" He called as he ran, making me shake my head and shuffle over to an empty side of the room. I didn't want to be here. If I could, I'd walk out and just make my way home. The only thing keeping me here was Jade...and Falner. I marveled internally at how much this one girl whom I always thought as someone just passing by had changed. Ever since I saw her at the mall, she looked and acted differently.

She became more confident. Cool. Chill, even. I let out a sigh, slumping down against the wall and burying my face in my skirt.

I would give anything to be like that.

[Falner's POV]

My vision of Christine was swallowed up by the crowd, and I could hear myself let out a groan. All I wanted was to just get a moment alone with her to tell her how I feel. Is that too much to ask?! The entire house was buzzing with activity.

"Crank the bass! It's Halloween! Break a vase! It's Halloween! Jello shots! It's Halloween! Liver spots! From Halloween!" Everyone screamed. I managed to squirm my way through the crowd, bumping into Jade after a second.

"Oh, shit, sorry!" I said, embarrassed. He gave me a good-natured shove.

"Greyson, I hear you're a pretty good dancer. Wanna put that to the test?" He asked. I nodded, stealing my jaw. Funny story...despite wanting to be a Broadway actress, I actually can't dance too well. But they didn't know that. All they knew is that I could dance. As the music's volume rose, Jade started it off with a few simple hip-hop steps. I gave him a smirk, channeling the energy of the school during homecoming and jumping into a full split as the beat dropped, wincing as I felt my legs burning in pain.

After a series of various meme dances, Fortnite dances - who knew Jade could floss like a pro! - and a whole bunch of Drake moves, we eventually collapsed onto our butts, laughing hysterically. Jade stood up and held out a hand to help me up. I took it, giving him a confident smile.

"Y'know...you're pretty cool, Falner." He said.

"You aren't too bad yourself, Jade," I replied. He smiled at me, and I felt a shift in our relationship. No longer was he just this stone-cold guy that I only saw from a distance. Now, he and I were something like equals. Almost as if we were all prompted, we all began to repeat our words from earlier.

"Everybody's got a red Solo cup. Fill it up, fill it up, hear the beer spill on the ground! Everybody's all like "'Sup! Yo man, 'sup! Let's catch up! Let's smoke up! Look how many drinks I've downed!" Every single song's all like "Whoop!" They're all "Whoop!" We're like "Yup, turn it up!" as we stumble to the sound!" I found myself dancing with Rose and Tempest in my attempts to find Christine, something that a part of me didn't mind.

"Cause a Halloween party's a rad excuse to put your body through mad abuse! And I might pass out but it's alright 'cause I'm Halloween partyin' hard tonight! It's Halloween! It's Halloween!" I then felt my Squip grab my arm and twirl me around, and I was suddenly aware that he was...physical. Completely physical. If anyone else could see him, they paid him no mind.

"Before the kill screen hits the scene!" He shouted, almost prompting everyone else to keep shout-singing.

"Gimme nicotine, Vaseline, amphetamine-" Everyone shouted.

"And gasoline!" Dallas practically screamed.

"It's alright, 'cause tonight is Halloween!" We all sang in unison. My Squip gave me a rather dorky grin and did something I would never forgive: he dabbed. I screamed - louder than I meant to - and started laughing.

"No! Agh, my soul!" I screeched. He started laughing as well and threw an arm around my shoulder, planting a giddy kiss on my cheek. As everyone's shouts decreased in volume, Tempest grabbed my arm.

"I'm supposed to get you. Hope has a surprise." She said. I tilted my head.

"What kind of surprise?" I asked. She rolled her eyes and started to almost drag me off.

"The one where you don't ask questions and follow me upstairs." She snapped. I stiffened, then noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Dallas was almost spazzing out in the center of the room.

"I-It's Halloween...It's Halloween..." He repeated the words over and over in an almost glitchy loop, and I felt my brow furrow and concern seep into my voice.

"Dallas...?" I asked aloud. He looked at me, and my blood froze. His hair was hanging in his face, his eyes were filled with tears, and...there were neon blue circuits searing themselves into his neck. Just like in my dream. Before I could say anything, Tempest dragged me up a flight of stairs and into a bedroom, almost slamming the door shut behind her.

I couldn't get that image out of my mind.


	21. Unprotected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN AN ATTEMPT AT AN UNCONSENSUAL SEXUAL ACT. IF THIS DISTURBS YOU IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, PLEASE SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER OR EXIT THE STORY ENTIRELY. I WILL NOT HOLD IT AGAINST YOU IF YOU DO THE LATTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND, IF YOU CONTINUE READING, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. - Beebs

Tempest gave me quite the sinister smirk. "Jade's parents' room. Don't worry. They're not using it." She purred. I flushed, backing up and hitting the backs of my legs on the bed.

"Wow, you ...really know your way around," I said slowly. She laughed, strolling up to me and sitting down on the bed, pulling me to sit next to her.

"Yeah, I've had sex in pretty much every room in this house," She said nonchalantly. I looked at her with a blank, yet shocked expression, and she waved her hand. "Because I dated Jade! God, what kind of slut do you think I am?" She asked, grabbing her bottle and taking a long drink from it. That's weird...it wasn't filled when we left my house...I bit my lip and fidgeted slightly, my skirt suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Where's Hope?" I asked softly. Tempest full-on laughed, putting an arm around me.

"Oh my god you are too fucking adorable," She giggled, then leaned in as her voice lowered to a whisper. "Hope's not coming." I felt my face turn paler.

"She's not? Then why..." I trailed off as Tempest put her hand against my blouse, specifically where it buttoned in the center, and I felt my face go from pale to tomato red.

"Do you wanna hang? Do you wanna hang? Do you wanna hang for a bit? Just you and me, intimately, talking about all of our feelings and shit." She asked, managing to get my blouse off, tossing it to the side and leave me in just my shirt, skirt, and heels. I scooted backward, almost falling off the bed in the process, but managed to catch myself. She giggled slightly, making me fully realize that she was drunk as all sin, and scooted closer to me.

"Do you wanna get, do you wanna get, do you wanna get really deep? We could connect, if I get wrecked, you could rock this baby fast asleep~" She cooed. I shook my head.

"I-I have to go..." I trailed off after trying to stand proved futile. I couldn't move my legs. I looked up at my Squip, who had suddenly materialized behind Tempest. "I can't stand up." I directed my speech to him, and my entire body crawled with chills as he gave me a smirk.

"You're welcome." He replied. I wanted to scream but chose to swallow my anger and turn my attention back to the girl trying to have sex with me, despite me not wanting any part of it. Tempest looked annoyed, crossing her arms and sitting straighter.

"I don't know why she's so crazy about you. You're not that cute. No offense." She said coldly.

"None taken," I replied, my eyes narrowing. "Now, I should get back-!" I was cut off by Tempest speaking again, this time sounding more angry than annoyed.

"You know she's not that innocent. That wounded puppy routine? It's how she gets all the guys. Acts all helpless so they want to protect her. Not that I care." She said, rolling her eyes. I tried to process things quicker than usual, finally realizing why this was happening in the first place.

"You're jealous of Hope!" I said in shock. She flushed almost as red as my blouse that was on the floor.

"Um. Obviously, I'm not." She said coldly. I shook my head.

"That's insane! Why would you be jealous of anyone? You're the hottest girl in school!" I said, then paled as the brevity of my words sank in. "Oh, shit did I just say that out-!" I got cut off by Tempest pulling me into a kiss, and my brain finally started working as I struggled to pull away.

"Whoa, whoa!" I shouted, then looked at my Squip. "You! Sentient Tic-Tac! Make this stop!" I directed my speech to him, and he tilted his head like a confused puppy. It was kind of cute, not gonna lie.

"I don't understand the request." He said. I inhaled through gritted teeth as Tempest started to speak.

"Do you wanna stop? Do you wanna stop? Do you wanna stop being coy? Do you wanna get? Do you wanna get, wanna get inside my diaper, boy?" She laughed. I flushed, halfheartedly muttering "I'm not a fucking boy." under my breath so that she wouldn't hear. She tossed her bottle to me, and I fumbled to catch it.

"Here's a secret..." She said, leaning in to whisper to me. "It's not actually milk." She gestured to the bottle as she said this. I shook my head, moving to place the bottle down on the bed.

"I'm not really a big-!" I suddenly felt less in control of my actions, a warmth spreading down my spine. I then took a big drink from the bottle, gagging slightly. "Drinker!" I coughed, craning my neck to glare at my Squip, who had his hand on my spine again. I then nearly fell forwards and captured her lips in an unwilling - at least on my part - kiss. Suddenly, I heard a soft knock on the door.

"Falner? Are you in there?" My heart stopped. Hope was outside the door, and she sounded concerned. Tempest put a finger to her lips, signaling for me to stay quiet. "Um...Rose said she saw you go upstairs...Falner?" I wanted to say something to prove that I was in the room, but I couldn't form words. After a moment, I heard her shuffle away and felt tears spring to the corners of my eyes. I didn't want to hurt her like this.

"I-If Rose saw us..." I started to speak, almost crying, but Tempest shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Rose needs to mind her own business." She retorted. I couldn't stop a few tears from rolling down my cheeks.

"Hope's going to find out. Don't you care?!" I asked, taking in a few shaky breaths.

"You're less cute when you're talking." She muttered, moving to straddle me. I couldn't help but let out a breathy cry, looking up at my Squip with pleading eyes.

"Please...please help me...I don't want this..." I whispered. As soon as my eyes met his, he stiffened.

"Konichiwa!" He chirped, almost immediately clapping a hand over his mouth and swallowing thickly.

"What?!" I asked in alarm. His expression turned from blankness to fear.

"I-I'm sorry, Falner. Alcohol temporarily scrambles my - SABAKU NO WA ORE NO STANDO DA!" I let out a half scream, practically shoving Tempest off of me and standing up so that I could look him in the eye.

"Then why did you make me drink it?!" I shouted. He flushed blue, making me sit back down with a wave of his hand.

"It was important you take advantage of the - Fujimi! Furōfushi! Sutando pawā! You'll thank me - Sugi ni omae wa "nani?!" To iu!" He was twitching as he spoke, his voice glitching out.

"NANI?!" I screamed. He laughed slightly, then glitched again, letting out a rather pained cry as he did so.

"Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu. Shinanaide kudasai. Ningen wa kawaisō kamo shiremasenga, anata wa kawaīdesu. Teme no haihin wa. Tatta hitotsu daze. Tatta hitotsu no shinppuru na kotae da. Teme wa ore wo. Okoraseta. Toki yo tomare! ZA WARUDO!" He was twitching, glitching in and out of existence, and eventually collapsed face-first onto the bed. I had no idea what he was saying, so I resorted to burying my face in my hands.

"Whatever, I've had enough-!" Tempest started but stopped once someone started pounding on the door.

_"FALNER GREYSON!" _Someone shouted. Tempest's eyes were gleaming with mischief.

"Ooh, the fun begins!" She laughed, pinning me down to the bed despite me trying to scramble away.

"Is that...Jade?!" I managed to speak, trying to shove her off of me in the process. Almost as if he could hear me, Jade slammed his fist into the door again.

"Falner, I know you're not having sex on my parent's bed, because if you were, I'd have to rip your ovaries out!" He shouted. I flushed in embarrassment as Tempest shouted back to him.

"GREAT, THEN YOU CAN BOTH BE PRIVATE-LESS!"

There was a long, pregnant silence. Jade then seemed to recognize Tempest's voice, and his voice turned about a thousand times angrier.

"...TEMPEST?!" He screamed. Tempest laughed, letting go of my wrists for a moment and giving me enough time to reach down and grab my blouse from the floor.

"HEAR THAT? I'M HAVING HOT SEX WITH FALNER ALL OVER YOUR PARENTS' LINENS!" She shouted over Jade's attempts to open the door, letting out clearly-fake moans as she took my blouse out of my hands, tossed it to the floor, and started kissing my exposed neck.

"No, we're not, I swear we're not!" I screamed in response. There was another long silence, and my heartbeat nearly tripled.

"Maybe...he believed me and just left." I reasoned to myself. I then saw Jade's fist punch through the window next to the bed, and I couldn't help but let out a loud, scared scream.

"You're fucking dead, Greyson!" Jade growled, pulling himself through the window as Tempest straddled me.

"Go away, we're busy SCREWING!" She shouted at him. I finally, _finally _managed to break out of her grip, shoving her off of me and running to the door, throwing it open. Hope was standing on the other side, looking absolutely crestfallen.

"Falner...?" She asked softly.

"Hope..." I groaned her name out, looking behind me. Jade was being blocked by Tempest, almost as if she was giving me some time to escape.

"Falner!" Jade shouted. I looked back at Hope, seeing tears brimming in her eyes. I pulled her into a short hug.

"I'm sorry." I whisper-cried, breaking the hug and running down the hall, my pace quickening as Jade's footsteps started to echo through the hall.

"I'll kill you, Falner!" He shouted, then leaned up against the wall. "Oh man, I shouldn't have drunk so much Peach Schnapps." I ran for what felt like hours, finally finding a door and throwing it open. I was standing in front of a bathroom.

Not even glancing back, I ran inside, slammed the door shut, and stumble-walked to the bathtub, slumping down against it and letting out a broken, agonized scream, hot tears streaming down my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, you...you want translations?  
Yeah, nope, sorry. Reddit (where I got most of the quotes) didn't provide translations.


	22. Hello, old friend

I nearly collapsed in on myself, continuing to let out broken sobs as tears ran down my face. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I let out an ear-piercing scream, jumping up and turning around to see who it was. The hand was connected to an arm, which was draped in an assortment of beer and soda cans. The arm was connected to...Eli. He sat up, brushing his hair out of his face, and gave me a pointed look.

"Sup." He said coldly.

"E-Eli...?!" I asked in surprise. "I didn't know you were invited to this party." He laughed slightly, crossing his arms.

"I wasn't. Which is why I'm wearing...this clever disguise!" He stood up, gesturing to his body and letting me see the entire costume. It was a black bathrobe covered in trash, and he had fuzzy green claws on his hands. Truthfully, I expected to see him in his dragon onesie. My lips were moving, but I couldn't speak purely out of my own surprise. My best guy friend, the guy who I willingly blocked out of my life, was standing right in front of me. Sure, he was covered in trash, but still.

"You're speechless," He noted, crossing his arms again while his voice took on a much more venomous tone. "Squip got your tongue?" I flushed in embarrassment, looking at my feet.

"It's...off..." I said softly, managing to look up at him. He let out a light laugh, shaking his head.

"That would explain why you're talking to me," He said. "I've been thinking about this moment. What I would say to you? I had this really pissed off monologue, an epic journey through twelve years of friendship..." I couldn't help but let out a light, semi-relieved laugh, pulling him into a hug. He looked surprised but hugged me back for a brief moment before pushing me away from him.

"What?" He asked defensively. I shook my head, smiling at him.

"It's just really good to see you, man," I said. He bit his lip.

"It won't be. Once you hear what I found out." He said almost nervously. I tilted my head.

"Found out?"

"About..." He tapped his forehead with his pointer finger, and I immediately realized what he meant.

"How?! Th-There's nothing on the internet-!"

"Which is weird, right?" He chimed in, cutting me off in the process. "I mean, what's not on the internet? So I starting asking around. Finally, this guy I play Fortnite with told me how his brother went from a straight D student to a freshman at Harvard. You know where he is now?" He asked. I thought for a moment, bit my lip as one particular outcome involving insanity floated into my mind, then dismissed it with a shake of my head.

"Really happy and successful?" I tried but felt my heart stop as he shook his head.

"He's in a mental hospital," He said solemnly. "Totally lost it." I shook my head again, this time in defiance.

"I don't see what that has to do with-!" He grabbed my hands, startling me.

"Think, woman! We're talking an insanely powerful supercomputer. Do you really think its primary function is to get you laid? Who made them? How did they end up in a high school? In New England? Of all possible applications for such a mind-blowingly advanced technology, you ever wonder what it's doing inside YOU?" He asked. I felt my face heat up.

"And I thought Tempest was jealous..." I muttered. He looked at me incredulously.

"I'm honestly asking!" He retorted. I felt like something inside me snapped, and I glared at him.

"Really? Because I think you're pissed I have one and you don't!" I shot back. He bristled slightly, looking much more surprised now.

"Come on-!"

It was my turn to cut him off. "Maybe I got lucky, is that so weird? With my history, I'd say the universe owed me one. And I don't know about your friend's brother's whatever, but if you're telling me his Squip made him crazy-!" Eli managed to get me to stop rambling...by grabbing my hands again and making me look into his eyes. They were glossy with tears.

"His Squip didn't make him crazy!" He said, keeping a firm grip on my hands. I looked at him with intrigue and surprise.

"Oh. Well... There you go." I reasoned. He let out a sigh, pressing the backs of my hands to his forehead. He felt like he had a fever.

"He went crazy trying to get it out ." He was practically whispering the words out. I couldn't help but let out a light laugh, pulling out of his grip and crossing my arms.

"Then I've got nothing to worry about. Why would I want that?" I asked. Eli looked at me with a broken expression on his face. I moved to walk out the door, but he was faster and managed to stand in front of it. "C'mon, man. Move it." I huffed. He crossed his arms, his voice taking on a defiant, determined tone.

"Or you'll what?" He challenged. I gritted my teeth.

"Get out of my way," I growled, practically shoving him to the side. "Loser." Before I left the bathroom, I got one last good look at him: his eyes were wide, his skin was paler than before, and I could see that he still had tears in his eyes. In short, he looked shell shocked. I slammed the door shut and walked down the hall, trying to find someplace to go.


	23. A bathroom and a broken heart

[Eli's POV]

I couldn't breathe. My throat felt like it had been closed up. I stumbled back over to the bathtub, sliding down against it and sitting on the ground, my hands hitting the ground with an audible slap. A long, uncomfortable silence hung in the air like smog over a city as I struggled to breathe, struggled to come to terms with what just happened. There was a loud knock at the door, and I heard Rose Kleinman shout from the other side.

"Hello?! Some of us have to pee!"

I swallowed thickly and managed to squeak out "I'm having my period!" in my best falsetto. Rose placed her hand to the door, and her voice became much more soft and comforting.

"Take your time, honey." She said. I heard her footsteps retreat down the hall, and managed to take in a shaky breath.

"I am hanging in the bathroom at the biggest party of the fall," I whispered to myself. "I could stay right here or disappear, and nobody'd even notice at all." I tried standing up again, but my legs felt like jelly and I ended up sitting back down so as not to crack my head open.

"I'm a creeper in a bathroom 'cause my buddy kinda left me alone. But I'd rather fake pee than stand awkwardly or pretend to check a text on my phone," I let out a light, mirthless laugh. "Everything felt fine when I was half of a pair...and through no fault of mine, there's no other half there..." I heard my voice break, feeling tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I blinked to clear my rapidly blurring vision and took a deep breath.

"Now I'm just Eli in the bathroom. Eli in the bathroom at a party..." I pulled my phone out of my pocket, just to check the time, and felt my heart skip a beat. I had changed my lockscreen to a picture of Falner and I goofing around and making funny faces at the camera. I blinked once, a few tears dripping down my cheeks and landing on my screen.

"F-Forget how long it's been..." I choked out, tucking the phone back into my jumpsuit. "I'm just Eli in the bathroom, Eli in the bathroom at a party-!" I stopped once I heard someone knock on the door.

"No, you can't come in," I shouted in my loudest voice, managing to keep my composure in a sense.

"I'm waiting it out 'til it's time to leave," I said, my voice dropping back down to a near-whisper, then noticed that I had dug my nails into the gaps of the tiled floor. "And picking at grout as I softly grieve. I'm just Eli who you don't know, Eli flying solo, Eli in the bathroom by himself...all by himself..." I had to hold my tears back. I didn't want anyone to hear me crying.

"I am hiding but she's out there, just ignoring all our history," I muttered, then stood up and rigidly wiped my hand across my forehead, almost acting like a robot. "Memories get erased, and I'll get replaced with a newer cooler version of me." I sat back down, leaning my head against the back of the tub.

"...And I hear a drunk girl singing along to Whitney through the door. "I wanna dance with somebody!"" I sang the words just as she did, making sure she was louder. After a brief moment of reprieve, my breathing turned slightly shaky, causing me to whisper again. "And my feelings sink, 'cause it makes me think: now there's no one to make fun of drunk girls with anymore...now it's just Eli in the bathroom, Eli in the bathroom at a party."

I burped slightly, feeling stomach acid jump up and hit the back of my throat. "I-I half regret the beers..." I took a shaky breath, trying not to vomit. "Eli in the bathroom, Eli in the bathroom at a party, as I choke back the tears," I wiped at the tears that decided to escape from my eyes. "I'll wait as long as I need 'til my face is dry, or I'll just blame it on weed, or something in my eye! I'm just Eli who you don't know, Eli flying solo, Eli in the bathroom by himself!" I was almost screaming.

I heard someone knocking at the door, and my breathing quickened. "Knock knock knock knock. They're gonna start to shout soon. Knock knock knock knock," I swallowed back my nerves and tried to sound composed. "Oh hell yeah I'll be out soon!" I called. The knocking never ceased. If anything, it sounded like more people were knocking now.

"Knock knock knock knock. It sucks you left me here alone. Knock knock knock knock. Here in this teenage battlezone-!" I buried my face in my knees, feeling like everything was collapsing around me, and I grabbed onto my legs in a desperate attempt to cling to reality.

It hurt to breathe. It felt like something was squeezing my heart, ribcage, and lungs, threatening to make them burst. My head was pounding, and my vision was getting blurrier by the second.

"Clang clang clang clang, I-I feel the pressure blowing up. Bang bang bang bang, my big mistake was showing up-!" I stood up suddenly, crossing to the sink and running the faucet, almost dunking my head in its shallow basin.

"Splash splash splash splash, I throw some water in my face. And I am in a better place!" I straightened up, feeling somewhat better as I walked over to the door.

"I go to open up the door..." I paused, suddenly aware of the silence around me, my hand against the door. "But I can't hear knocking anymore..." I stepped backward, looking down at the granite countertop of the sink.

"And I can't help but yearn for a different time," I looked up at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were still swimming with tears, my face was as red as a cherry, my hair hung in my face, and I seemed to be shaking slightly. When I spoke, my voice sounded hoarse and tear-choked. "And then I look in the mirror, and the present is clearer, and there's no denying: I'm just-!" I cut myself off by finally, finally letting all of my emotions out, slumping down against the counter and letting out a rather pained sob into my arms, tears freely running down my face and meeting no resistance from me. After a moment of crying, I sniffled and spoke again, my voice completely and utterly heartbroken.

"At a party. Is there a sadder sight than-" I then started to hum a bit to the music outside. "Hm hmm hm hm hm hmmm, Eli in the bathroom at a party...this is a heinous night. I wish I stayed at home in bed watching cable porn," I said, then harshly ran my finger across my neck, almost as if I was trying to kill myself. "Or wish I'd offed myself instead, wish I was never born!" I cried.

"I'm just Eli who's a loner, so he must be a stoner. Rides a PT cruiser-!" My voice cracked considerably, but I inhaled deeply and screamed my next words out, my voice tinged with pain.

"God, he's such a loser!"

I let out a sob. "Eli flying solo, who you think that you know?! Eli in the bathroom by himself. All by himself. All by himself!" I slammed my hand down on the counter, wincing at the pain.

I then looked up at the mirror, staring at my angry, crying reflection.

"And all you know about me is my name," I whispered. "Awesome party. I'm so glad I came." I slumped down onto the ground, falling flat on my side and curling into a small ball of pain and loneliness, feeling tears still running down my face.


	24. Courage cannot erase our fear

[Falner's POV]

I walked into the living room, surprised to see Dallas up and walking around. He approached a girl dressed as Donna Noble from Doctor Who, and I could clearly hear him ask "You got any Mountain Dew Red?" She shook her head, and he let out a sigh, sprinting off.

I noticed Christine sitting on a couch, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. A large, fuzzy, white monster was passed out next to her. I sat down and put my head in my hands, internally cursing.

Why did I call Eli a loser?!

He was only trying to help!

I then looked up at Christine, who had opened her eyes and was staring at me.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Yo," I replied, giving her a small, awkward smile. "So, uh, where's your date?" I immediately regretted my decision to ask as her face fell.

"He's having make-up sex with Tempest. So, my night's pretty awesome." She said, her voice leaking with false enthusiasm by the end. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry..." I murmured. She shook her head, giving me the tiniest of smiles.

"Don't be. I-I mean, I dumped him." She replied.

"It looks like normal Mountain Dew? But red?" Dallas called, not receiving a response from anyone in the room. I raised my eyebrow, then focused my attention back to Christine.

"You dumped Jade? Why? Sorry, you don't have to..." I started but trailed off after she shook her head and pat my shoulder.

"I'm not Juliet. And, he's kind of a jerk, so-!" She was cut off by Dallas suddenly screaming at the top of his lungs.

"SERIOUSLY, WHERE THE FUCK CAN I GET SOME MOUNTAIN DEW RED?!"

Christine and I stared at him with shock. He let out a groan that sounded suspiciously like pain, running out of the room. I couldn't help but start laughing, Christine joining in after a moment.

"Popular people are meeeeeeessssed uuuup." She giggled. I nodded slightly.

"Word," I replied, internally cringing at how outdated I sounded. She gave me a slightly incredulous look.

"I mean, you're one of them." She reasoned. I tilted my head.

"What? No, I'm not." I replied, confused. She laughed slightly, shaking her head.

"Hello, girl who's been pucking her way through the cast of Midsummer." She quipped.

"I'm not..." I trailed off for a moment as her words sank in, then let out a snort-laugh. "Pucking?" I asked. She beamed, giggling slightly.

"You like that? Just made it up. Boo-yeah!" She chirped. I was stunned into silence. That, and I didn't have the ever-present voice of Jason Tam in my head helping me out this time. She looked at me, slightly confused.

"What?" She asked. I swallowed, let out a soft breath, then spoke.

"It's just... I don't know what I'm supposed to say right now." I admitted. She gave me a gentle smile and took my hand in hers.

"Say whatever's on your mind." She suggested.

I nodded, taking a deep breath, opening my mouth...and letting out an almost unearthly screech. I clapped my hands over my mouth after I had finished, my face turning red in embarrassment. Christine looked at me, then let out a similar screech. I felt adrenaline and excitement run through my veins as I let out another screech, not unlike a Godzilla monster, Christine matching said screech almost exactly. The fuzzy white monster passed out next to us suddenly let out a scream-screech of their own, making Christine and I let out a real scream of fright. The monster passed out again, and I burst out laughing, Christine hot on my heels.

"It's kinda killer to sit and chat with you." She said, both of us reeling ourselves in and regaining some composure.

"Really?" I asked excitedly. She nodded.

"It's true! It's pretty killer to sit and chat with you." She replied. I smiled.

"It's pretty killer for me, too," I said. We then giggled and spoke in unison.

"Woo hoo! It's pretty killer to hang and talk with you. I'm glad that we both agree!" Then, in a burst of pure courage, I sang the words that I had wanted to say since freshman year.

"Christine...Christine...Christine, will you go out with me?" I asked. Her expression faltered as she looked from her hands to me.

"Falner, I...I can't." She murmured. I felt like someone just shot me in the heart.

"I...thought we were..." I couldn't finish my sentence. She took my hands and squeezed them gently.

"We're friends. We'll always be friends. But... I don't think I should go out with anyone until I know who I am. I know that's not what you wanted to hear... I'm sorry." She stood up and hurried out of the room, almost tripping on the skirt of her dress. I let out an audible groan, then stiffened as I heard Dallas walk in. He imitated a bomb dropping and crashed down next to me.

"Got any Mountain Dew Red?" He asked. I balled my hands into fists and glared at him.

"Okay, this whole no-drinking-while-squipping thing? Would it have killed you to give me a warning?" I snapped. Dallas stiffened, his eyes glazing over. I felt fear run through my body.

"...Dallas?" I asked. He stood up, and when he spoke, my blood froze.

"Warning. Warning. Warning."

He repeated the words over and over in an eerie monotone, walking out of the room.

"Okay, that's weird." I reasoned. I then felt hands on my shoulder and stiffened again.

"Hello, Falner." My Squip purred. I stood up and turned to glare at him, crossing my arms.

"Oh, about time!" I said coldly. He shrugged slightly.

"My absence was not ideal, but it was necessary," He replied. "One moment while I review the data from this evening." His eyes blinked a rainbow of colors before returning to neon blue. His face was paler than before, and I could clearly discern fear in his eyes.

"Oh my..." He whispered. I bit my lip.

"It's bad, right?" I asked.

"We need to get you home." He said. I tilted my head.

"What?"

Before I could even object, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him.

"Now." He growled.

I flushed red and nodded slightly, sprinting to the front door and running out. My head was spinning. What the hell was going on? Why couldn't I get Eli's shell-shocked, heartbroken face out of my mind? I tried to push the thoughts away, stumbling forward and almost faceplanting into the pavement. I felt my Squip's hand on my spine and instantly straightened, my vision turning slightly glassy. I had no idea how, but I managed to get home without my dad even realizing, going into my room and finally regaining control of myself.

My body felt like jelly and I collapsed to the floor, my vision going dark.


	25. Stronger than he looks

[Dallas's POV]

My head felt like someone was taking a scalpel and picking at my brain with it. I yelled in pain, collapsing to my knees in Jade's kitchen. Everyone else was either blackout drunk, asleep, or had left a few hours ago. I wasn't alone, though. Far from it.

"I-It's Halloween...it's H-H-Halloween..." I cried, gasping for breath and keeping my gaze down. I felt someone grab my hair and yank my head up, making me let out a strangled shout of pain. I was met by a girl who looked exactly like Rey from the Star Wars franchise, save for her striking neon blue eyes. "R-Rey, let go of me!" I stammered, trying to pull my hair out of her grip, only succeeding in getting myself even more stuck. She let out a light laugh.

"Why? So you can go out and just stop our plans like this? I don't think so, Dallas." She said, her voice laced with malice. I managed to grab her hand and give myself enough leverage to kick her backward, sending her flying into the wall, almost immediately regretting my decision as her hand was literally torn out of my hair. I let out a whimper of pain, sprinting out of the kitchen and into the living room. I felt something - or someone - kick the backs of my legs, making me stumble and fall into a kneel. Rey appeared in front of me, looking a little more disheveled and less composed, and I knew exactly why: I was fighting back.

"I won't let you do this," I growled, glaring at her. "I won't let you control me anymore. I won't let you hurt my friend. I won't let you hurt anyone else." She let out a low laugh, kneeling down and grabbing my face with her hand.

"And how do you plan on stopping us?" She whispered. I smacked her hand away, stood up, and bolted out of the room and through the back door that lead outside. I knew exactly what I had to do...and I knew I had the strength to do it. I ran to Jade's shed, opening it and grabbing a rather full canister of gasoline.

"With this," I said, half to myself and half to Rey, who was floating beside me. I saw her face pale in fear.

"Dallas Dixon, you wouldn't dare." She said in shock. I gave her a rather deranged grin.

"Oh, I certainly would dare. If I go down, I'm dragging you with me," I said, running back to the house and pouring some of the gasoline on the floor. "Just like Katniss Everdeen said: if we burn, you burn with us." I felt electricity racing down my spine but shook it off, adrenaline coursing through my veins and numbing the pain of the shocks.

"Dallas, what you're doing is insane! It's suicide!" Rey shouted. I laughed, tossing my arms out to the sides and spilling more gasoline around the room.

"This is all because of you!" I said. "You did this! You drove me to this! Your constant taunting, constant shocks, constant pain you gave me has finally reached its limits! I'm done with trying to please you. I'm done with trying to please society. I'm done lying," I had poured more and more gasoline on the floor and furniture, eventually emptying the canister and grabbing a match from my bag.

"It's time for me to fix my mistakes. Even if it means I won't be alive to see the results." I said simply.

I looked around, making sure no one was around before I lit the match. "Hasta la vista, robo-bitch." I said defiantly, throwing the match to the ground. There was an almost deafening FWOOM as the entire room was set alight. I could feel my body go rigid and collapse into the flames, and I had the faintest hope that anyone still in the house would get to safety. I could hear the smoke alarms blaring, but the noise slowly started to dull.

I saw someone run through the flames and grab my arms, but I couldn't see their face. Only the fuzzy green claws on their hands. The last thing I heard was my name, spoken by both the person dragging me out of the house and by Rey. She sounded pissed. I smiled faintly, then blacked out, going completely limp in the process.


	26. A social media bonfire

[Rose's POV]

I woke up to the sound of my phone chiming. Letting out a slight groan, I rolled over and grabbed said phone, unlocked it and checked what could possibly be spamming me at seven in the morning.

"Wait...Dallas did what?!" I asked aloud in surprise, clicking on a news article and skimming it. Dallas Dixon had set a fire and almost burned down Jade Smithwell's house. "Holy shit," I murmured. "This...oh my God, everyone needs to see this." I then closed the article, immediately tapping Tempest's contact photo and putting my phone to my ear, tapping impatiently on the backside of the case. The call went straight to voicemail, and I let out a soft groan.

"O-M-G, Temp, answer me!" I yelled into the receiver. "Look, wait until I tell you what I heard!" I stood up, nearly jumped out of bed, and started pacing back and forth. "It's too fucked to type! This shit is ripe! Call back! I'll yell you every word." I said, then hung up, satisfied that I was at least able to send her a voicemail...only to tap the 'call' button again and proceed to attempt another call. After chatting with her and Hope about the situation, I jumped out of bed and got dressed. Red flannel, MCR shirt, ripped jeans, sneakers...I looked good to go. I scampered out of my house and down to the nearest bus stop. Tempest said to meet her at the mall so that we - and by we, she meant Hope, herself, and me. - could spread the word.

(Timeskip)

As soon as I got off the bus and into the mall courtyard, I heard Hope's voice call my nickname.

"Rosie!" She bounded at me and almost crushed me in a hug.

"Heya, Hope. Is Tempest with you?" I asked, playfully ruffling her hair. She looked behind her, then shook her head.

"Nope. She said to meet her here so that we all could spread the word." She said.

"I heard my name?" Tempest asked, walking out from inside the mall with a group of girls in tow. I raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. Who are these lovely ladies?" I asked, gesturing to the group.

"This is the cavalry," She replied proudly. "They're going to help us get this out to everyone." She then stepped to the side. "Introduce yourselves!" She said cheerfully. The first girl to step forward had messy brown hair, brown eyes, the most confident posture I had ever seen on a teenager, and wore an outfit in various shades of blue.

"I'm Star," She said, giving me a slight smile. I gave her a polite smile back as she walked over to my side, Hope eagerly introducing herself. The next girl to walk up had black hair, electric blue eyes, and was dressed like a punk rocker.

"Name's Thalia. Nice to meetcha, Rose." She said, and I shivered slightly at how cold her voice was, managing to give her a nod. She walked to stand next to Star as the next girl walked forward. She had blondish brown hair, blue-green eyes, and was wearing a checkered flannel over a grey shirt and a pair of jeans.

"My name's Zoe." She said softly. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to pull her into a hug. So, I did. Zoe immediately relaxed into my arms, both of us pulling away after a moment.

"Nice to meet you, Zoe," I said softly. She gave me a smile, then stepped over to the side. The last girl walked up with confidence and a little bit of a pep in her step. She had black hair, green eyes, and wore all black from head to toe.

"My name's Emily," She said cheerily. "Nice to meet you!" She gave me a smile, and I pulled her into a hug as well.

"Nice to meet you too, Emily," I said, then looked at Tempest. "So, this is it? This is our social media army?" Tempest nodded proudly.

"Mmhm!" She then addressed the entire group. "Hey, everybody! Have you heard? Dallas Dixon set a fire, now go spread the word!" She said like a cheerleader. Everyone, myself included, pulled out their phones and each went onto a different app. I opened Twitter, Star and Emily opened Tumblr, Hope opened Instagram, Thalia opened YouTube for some bizarre reason, Zoe opened up Snapchat, and Tempest opened Facebook.

"Sending a text!" Zoe said simply.

"Sending a tweet!" I called. We all then started speaking in counterpoint with each other.

"Sending a text!" Star and Emily called, Star tossing her phone to Thalia, who caught it with ease.

"Text!" Thalia shot back, typing a message and throwing the phone back to Star.

"Sending a tweet!" I shouted, then tossed my phone to Zoe, who fumbled, caught it, and typed out a tweet of her own.

"Tweet!" She chirped, tossing my phone back to me.

"Release the information, step, and repeat!" Tempest cheered.

"I'll spread the word that Dallas is flecked!" Hope said, receiving a multitude of confused looks in response.

"Flecked?" We all asked. She tilted her head.

"No, I meant fucked!" She clarified.

"Ohhh." The group made a sound of agreement.

"Wait, did I say flecked?" She asked, looking from her phone to us.

"Yeah," I admitted, laughing slightly. She let out a slight giggle.

"Sorry, guys! That's just my autocorrect." She apologized.

"Always be aware of autocorrect!" Heather chirped. We all began to sing-speak in unison, the excitement getting us all hyped up.

"Dallas Dixon, can't you see? Just how much I care about your tragedy! Changed my profile pic to you, now I fully understand what you're going through! Dallas Dixon, it's a drag. I read, she read, they read you're in a body bag! Dallas Dixon, can't you see just how much I love your tragedy!" We cheered. A few people walked out of the mall, looking at us with slight confusion.

"Hi!" Hope chirped, bounding over to them with Tempest in tow. I recognized a few of them, too, and I pointed them out to the others.

"That's Katherine Kelly," I said, gesturing to a girl with long brown hair and grey eyes. "She's part of the school's newspaper." I then gestured to a girl with long, dyed purple hair and blueish grey eyes. "That's Mimi. No one knows her last name, but she's probably one of the most creative people I know." I said rather proudly. Zoe suddenly pointed to another girl. This one had short black hair and brown eyes.

"I know her! Her name's Danielle, formerly Damien. She's one of the cheerleaders." She said excitedly. Danielle looked over at us and smiled, sauntering over after a moment.

"Yo! Zoe and Rose, right?" She chirped.

"Yo! That's us." Zoe and I replied.

"Did you hear about that fire?" Danielle asked, and I couldn't help but smile.

"How could we not?" I replied, laughing. She gave me a smile, then waved Katherine over.

"Sup, Kathy!" She shouted. Katherine flushed red but hurried over.

"Sup. I thought I told you never to call me that!" She hissed. Danielle shrugged slightly.

"Hey, it's a good nickname. It suits ya." She said simply.

"Yo, this shit's FIRE! Uh, no pun intended." Mimi laughed, bouncing up to us and grabbing us all in a hug, much to my surprise. I squeaked slightly as Tempest grabbed my shoulder and everyone else surrounded me, forming a sort of circle.

"Talk it, text it, pass it, talk it!" We shouted, passing our phones to each other in a very wonderball way. After everyone got their phone back, the circle erupted into incoherent chattering about the whole incident.

My head was spinning. I was admittedly too overwhelmed to think straight, and I pulled out of the circle and collapsed onto my ass on the pavement, squinting up at everyone's backs. The circle quickly filled my open space and didn't seem to notice I had disappeared.

I sighed quietly, stood up, brushed myself off, and debated my options. I could either leave everyone and just go back home so that I could make this incident less of a production, or stay and be potentially roped into something that I might regret. I slowly began pacing back and forth, looking down at my phone. This whole situation was insane.

Why did Dallas do what he did?

It wasn't alcohol, it wasn't pot...so what was it?

What drove him to want to burn someone's house down?

I bit my lip as I stopped pacing, noticing my Twitter feed being spammed with people sending prayers, the mob sending their mass texts...and then I noticed a lone tweet from Christine Harpsong. It only read three simple words:

"Oh my God."

It was in response to Zoe's tweet about the fire. I shook my head and closed the app, tucking my phone into my pocket and staring at the still-chattering group. Hell, they were practically singing at this point.

"Dallas set a fire and he burned down the house! Woah, Dallas set a fire and he burned down the house. It was so terribly gory, I got the whole bloody story! Yeah, I wasn't quite there, but I know what happened, I swear! When Dallas set a fire and he burned the house down, when Dallas set a fire and he leveled the town. When Dallas set a fire and he fled to Bombay, when Dallas set a fire 'cause he knew he was gay," everyone sang, giggling slightly. I backed up slowly, not wanting to get involved. With every passing second, everyone's versions of the story got more and more ridiculous.

"When Dallas set a fire and he melted his head, when Dallas set a fire and he's totally dead! When Dallas set a fire and he burned down the house! Burned! It! Down! Woah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Did ya hear? Did ya hear? Burned! It! Down! Woah! Did ya hear? Did ya hear? Yeah, yeah, yeah! Burned! It! Down! Woah! Did ya hear? Did ya hear?" Suddenly, I felt someone's hand on my arm. Tempest practically dragged me into the circle again.

"That Dallas set a fire and he burned down the-" She started to sing, but was cut off by Hope jumping in.

"Dallas set a fire and he burned down the-!" I was the one to cut her off, both with my voice and a wave of my hand.

"Dallas set a fire and he burned down the house." I sang, but it was clear my heart wasn't really in it. Tempest and Hope moved into the middle of the circle.

"He told me 'cause he's my best friend!" They chirped. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Dallas set a fire and he burned down the house!" Everyone - save for myself - sang. I pulled out my phone, typed up a short message, and proclaimed one word:

"Send!"


	27. Repressed

[Falner's POV]

I woke up with half my clothes on. Specifically, I woke up with my white button-down shirt and red blouse on. I had no idea where my skirt and leggings went. Thank fuck I still had my underwear on. Groaning, I tried to roll out of bed but was stopped by the sudden feeling of an arm that wasn't my own wrapped around my waist.

"Whomst the fuck?!" I whisper-shouted. Chills ran through my body as I heard my Squip chuckle softly from behind me, his warm breath making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Relax, Falner," He whispered, "It's only me." I managed to roll around and face him, feeling my cheeks heating up in an embarrassed blush.

"How did you get into my bed? Why am I skirtless and pantsless? What happened last night?!" I questioned. He let out another laugh, pressing his forehead against mine.

"Firstly, I can make myself a physical being whenever I wish, plus, I'm inside your head. I go everywhere with you," He replied, "Second, why you're lacking your skirt and leggings...you decided to get rid of them at about four-thirty this morning. You mumbled something about how uncomfortable they were to sleep in. Finally, the events of last night..." At this, he bit his lip slightly, his eyes clouding over.

"That isn't important right now. All that matters is that you're safe." He replied simply. I raised my eyebrow but realized that he wasn't going to tell me anything until he believed that the time was right.

"Okay. Can you let me go?" I asked. He nodded slightly, removing his arm from around my waist and letting me actually roll out of bed. I stumbled through the mess that is my room, managing to get to the door and open it, staring into the hallway. I then let out a sigh and walked out of my room, shuffling down to the bathroom and leaning against the counter. I looked into the mirror at my tired reflection.

I looked like someone had run me over with a truck: my hair was tangled and sticking up at weird angles, my face was red, there were dark circles on top of dark circles under my eyes, and I generally felt like a wreck. Letting out a low groan, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and walked back into my room. It was a dress down day at school, and I had no idea what to wear, something that was clearly obvious due to the way I stood in front of my open closet with a blank expression on my face. My Squip let out a groan of his own, gesturing to a blue flannel and a pair of ripped jeans.

"Just...repurpose the costume you wore for Act Two of Carrie, and you'll be fine." He muttered. I nodded slightly, grabbing the clothes in question and ditching the clothes I had been wearing all night. I looked up at my Squip, who looked away almost immediately, a blush gracing his face.

"Something up?" I asked. He looked back at me for a moment before looking away again, his blush deepening.

"Falner. Take a moment and just...look at yourself." He said slowly. Confused, I looked in the mirror...and realized that I was almost completely naked, save for my panties. I screamed and quickly covered my chest with the clean bra and shirt I was planning on wearing.

"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, Squip, I-I'm so sorry!" I stammered, my face turning red. The blush on his face made him look like a blueberry.

"I-It...it's...o-okay..." He stuttered a reply out, his body glitching slightly and only making me more concerned.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded.

"Just...e-embarrassed," He admitted. "I've never...seen..." He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "...my host without...anything on before." I buried my face in my hands, almost sprinting out of my bedroom after I finished getting dressed, a pair of black combat boots on my feet. I bumped into my dad in the hallway, making me stumble backward and land flat on my butt.

"Ow! Oh, h-hey dad!" I stuttered. He gave me a rather tired looking smile.

"Hiya, honey. Where do you think you're going?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow, standing up and brushing myself off.

"Um...school? It's Friday. I have class." I clarified. My dad backed up slightly and let me pass. "Falner, um...did you go to that party on Halloween?" He asked. I stiffened.

Oh shit.

My Squip gave my dad a glare, then rolled his eyes.

"Disdainful denial." He said. I looked back at my dad.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, noticing that my voice sounded colder than before. My dad stiffened as well.

"Then I guess I should ignore the smell of beer on your costume." He said. I laughed slightly, mirthlessly.

"Do whatever you want," I replied, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a protein shake out of the fridge.

"Did you do drugs or something?" My dad suddenly asked. I turned to leave but was stopped by my Squip's hand on my shoulder.

"Wait." He commanded. I gave him a short, unnoticeable nod, looking back at my dad.

"I'm worried about you! You come and go all hours, doing God knows what, wearing these new clothes... What is going on with you?" My dad asked. He sounded absolutely heartbroken. I bit my lip, fidgeting slightly with one of the torn parts of my jeans, desperate for anything to say.

"...Tell him the truth." My Squip said softly. I let out a soft exhale, then spoke from my heart.

"I took a pill-sized supercomputer called a Squip that's in my brain, and it talks to me, and it's made everything better," I said. My dad visibly bristled.

"If you're not going to take me seriously-!"

"Why should I?!" I snapped, cutting him off and fully turning to look at him. "I'm supposed to believe you care? Look in the mirror! Ever since Mom left, you sit around like you're waiting for her to come back! If she did, you know what she'd find? A loser who's so afraid to have a life, he can't even put PANTS ON!" I screamed the words at the top of my lungs, feeling my body shake and a few tears run down my face. I've wanted to say those words for years on end. Guess it took one decent shove to get me off the edge. My dad blinked back tears of his own.

"I could ground you." He said softly. I shook my head, walking out of the kitchen and almost shoving him away in the process.

"I don't think you could," I said coldly, darting downstairs, grabbing my backpack, and walking out the garage door. "Good talk. Don't wait up." I slammed the door shut behind me, opening the garage and hurrying outside, the cold, winter air stinging my exposed skin. I felt a few tears prickle in the corners of my eyes, wiping them away with the sleeve of my flannel.


	28. When you love somebody...

[Anakin Greyson (Falner's Dad)'s POV]

I watched my daughter storm out of the house. Something was up with her. I could feel it. I let out a soft sigh, sitting down on the top step of the staircase that led down to the front door and looking at the carpeted steps below.

"Falner is in big bad trouble right now..." I murmured, then looked up at the door. "She's ashamed of me, apparently...still, I gotta help her somehow. I don't know what she wants, but I know what she needs." I could practically feel the light bulb go off in my head.

"She'll need a dad so strong to help her not slip away," I stood up, wobbling slightly but steadying myself almost instantly. I knew exactly where I had to go and what I had to do. "I haven't been a dad for so long, but I think I'm ready today. The situation is grave, now's the time to be brave. I'm gonna finally make that climb. One leg at a time!" I said proudly, almost sprinting down the stairs and reaching the basement floor in almost record time.

"When you love somebody, you put your pants on for them! When you love somebody, you take a chance just for them, a chance just for them! If the road gets muddy, focus on the goal 'till the rough stuff's gone. When you love somebody, you put your pants on!" I grabbed a jacket, made sure the boxers I was wearing were actually semi-presentable and bolted into the garage. I opened the door that led outside, got into my car, and swiftly drove out of the garage. Time to find Falner's best friend.

(Timeskip; Eli's POV)

I sat on my front porch in nothing but my dragon onesie and a pair of boxers, a small trash can fire burning in front of me. There was a box of cupcakes next to the trash can, and as I pulled a small card out of the box on my lap, I grabbed a cupcake and took a bite.

"Pokemon card she gave me for the birthday no one else remembered..." I murmured, looking at the holographic Dratini card in front of me. It seemed to catch the flickering light of the flames. I let out a sigh, swallowing the cake I was eating and rolling my eyes.

"Burn it." I then pulled out a small, faded looking ticket.

"Ticket stub from our first concert...Weird Al..." My mind was quickly flooded with the memories of that day: the sounds of the crowd around us, Falner's cheers whenever a song she knew started, the excitement in her eyes...I closed my eyes, shaking my head and throwing the ticket into the can.

"Super burn it." I felt like I was going to cry. Suddenly, a car pulled up across the street, and someone hurried out of it.

"Eli!" They called. My eyes widened.

"Mr. Greyson?!" I asked, slightly alarmed. "What're you doing here?" He raced up the porch, almost tripping over a step.

"We need to talk about Falner." He said. I shook my head, turning away.

"Sorry, Falner and I aren't friends anymore-!" I was stopped by his hand on my arm.

"Do you love her?" He asked gently. My face flushed red as I turned to look at him.

"Yes! No! Wait, wha-at?!" I stammered out. He let out a soft sigh.

"She can be a little bitch sometimes. We both know that. But that's no excuse to sit around burning shit while she turns herself into a monster!" He sounded completely sincere. I bit the inside of my cheek, internally debating on whether or not I should actually try and hear him out.

"Yeahh, I'm gonna..." I trailed off after seeing the almost pleading look in his eyes.

"I need you, 'cause I do not have the tools to help with what she's going through. I know you know all the rules." He said. I let out a low sigh.

"But I'm not what she wants," I replied almost miserably. He grabbed my shoulders, making me stiffen.

"But you're just what she needs! And this might be hard, I know. You just suck it up and go! When you love somebody, you put your pants on for them!" He said, sounding determined. "When you love somebody, you take a stance just for them, a stance just for them!" He then let go of my shoulders and mimed throwing a few punches, causing me to duck out of the way so as to avoid getting clocked in the face.

"If the fight gets bloody, just keep pushing through 'till the pain is gone. When you love somebody, you put your pants on!" He finished.

I shook my head and turned away from him again. "Look, I already tried to help her! And she called me a loser, so-" I was cut off by his hands on my shoulders.

"She called me a loser! So what?! Falner's in serious trouble, and if we give up on her now, we may lose her forever! Then we would be losers, huh? Is that what you want?" He asked. I bit my lip and looked down at my feet.

"...No..." I mumbled.

"Say it like you mean it!" He said, and I suddenly realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to give me my morale back.

"...No?" I said, a little louder this time. He nodded, then gave me a smile.

"Say it like we're in the army."

I stepped back and shouted "No!" at the top of my lungs, then clumsily saluted. "S-Sergeant? I don't know..." I mumbled. He stood there for a moment before giving me a salute in return.

"Ten-hut." He said softly. I couldn't help but smile a bit.

"When you love somebody, you put your pants on for them," I repeated his words from earlier, smiling at how absurd they sounded.

"Wear those pants!" He cheered. I good-naturedly rolled my eyes.

"Somewhat reluctantly..." I was then hit by a wave of determination. Maybe, just maybe, I had found a solution to our little minty pest problem. I could save her. "Still, you gotta go!" I shouted.

"When you love somebody, you put your pants on for them! Metaphorically-!" Mr. Greyson had joined in with me on those words, then cut me off by speaking again.

"Or sometimes actual pants, real literal pants!"

I burst out laughing, the two of us speaking in unison again. "It's a classic study of the things we do for our best friend! When you love somebody?" He gestured to me, and I puffed my chest out in pride.

"You see it 'till the end! When you love somebody?" I gestured to him this time, and he gave me a smile.

"The conclusion's forgone." He replied. I hugged him tightly, then spoke in unison with him again.

"When you love somebody, you put your big boy pants right on! You put your pants on!" We cheered.

"Now come on! We've got a girl to save!" Mr. Greyson said triumphantly. I nodded, running into my house and coming back a few moments later with my backpack.

"Let's go!" I shouted, the two of us making a beeline for the grey Nissan Sentra parked across the street.

"Hold on, Falner," I thought to myself. "There's still hope for you yet."


	29. Ulterior motives

[Falner's POV]

After I got home from school, I was surprised to not find my dad waiting for me.

"Hello?" I called, hearing only the soft echo of my voice reverberating off of the high ceilings as a reply.

"Huh, this is weird," I commented, looking at my Squip, who was floating beside me. "My dad's usually home." He shrugged slightly.

"Gives you more time alone, then." He reasoned. I shook my head, hurrying up the stairs and going into my room, tossing my flannel on my bed and leaving me in just a white tank top and ripped jeans.

"This just doesn't seem right. Why would he-?!" I was cut off by the secret sound from Zelda playing repeatedly from my phone. Confused, I pulled it out of my back pocket and unlocked it. My eyes widened. I was being bombarded with notifications from Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, even YouTube, and all of them said roughly the same thing. According to Rose, Dallas had set a fire and tried burning down Jade's house on Halloween.

"Oh my God," I said softly, horror in my voice. "They're saying Dallas is in the hospital. A-And Jade...oh God, Jade broke both of his legs trying to escape the fire!" I let out a groan, throwing my phone onto my bed. It nearly sailed through my Squip's head, making me look over at him to apologize, but the words got stuck in my throat. He had changed his outfit again. Instead of the white trenchcoat, he wore a silver...dress of sorts with black accents. His hair was still the same, soft bob, though.

"What's with the new outfit?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at me and blinked a couple of times, almost like he was coming out of a trance.

"Felt like I needed a change of clothes." He replied coolly. I nodded slightly but didn't feel like he was telling me the full truth. Something felt off.

"How could Dallas' Squip let him attempt to burn down the house like that?" I wondered aloud, then turned to my own Squip. "How could it let him get hurt?" He let out a light laugh.

"Oh, darling, his Squip was trying to stop him," He said smoothly. "Dallas was under a lot of pressure at home. With his Squip partially disabled due to the copious amounts of alcohol he consumed that night, it seems he lacked the proper coping mechanism."

It felt like there was a pit in my stomach and I started pacing back and forth in a feeble attempt to keep some sort of sanity. My Squip let out a soft sigh, shaking his head.

"Falner, calm down," He said, grabbing my shoulders. I glared up at him for a moment before sitting down on my bed and putting my head in my hands. I heard him groan slightly, then felt his hand in my hair. He gave my hair a short tug, making me look up at him. His eyes were practically glowing.

"Did you know? Wait..." I trailed off as I vaguely remembered his warning: "We need to get you home. Now." I looked at him, feeling chills run through my body. "You made me leave the party-!" He cut me off with a wave of his hand.

"I was aware of certain...probabilities." He replied. I felt my blood run cold.

"Did you know people were going to get hurt?"

I couldn't believe the voice coming out of my mouth. It wasn't anything like my usual, quiet tone. It was cold, hate-filled, and oh-so-suspicious. He narrowed his eyes.

"I'm getting the impression that you don't trust me, Falner." His voice dropped a few octaves when he said my name, making me shudder. His voice was as cold and icy as mine, but held a dangerous note to it, almost as if he was warning me to back off. Almost every single part of me wanted to fight back, but the more rational sides won out and made me stay silent. The silence lingered for a few minutes before a thought entered my mind and spilled past my lips.

"Why me?"

He tilted his head. "I...don't understand the question." He said slowly. I stared him down.

"You could be inside world leaders. Presidents. Famous people," I said, wringing my hands as my voice rose in near-desperation. "What are you doing inside me? What do you want?!" He looked at me with a mixture of confusion and indignation.

"I promise you, my sole function is to improve your life." He said calmly. I gritted my teeth, balling my hands into fists.

"Well awesome job! My best guy friend thinks I'm a complete and total fucking asshole, I really hurt Hope, I almost got fucking raped by a drunk Tempest, and...and Christine..." My voice dropped to a near-inaudible whisper as I looked at the blankets. "Christine...probably hates me now. You were supposed to make her like me." I finished. He waved his hand, and I suddenly snapped up to look at him.

"And I will. In time," He said soothingly, gently trailing a hand through my hair. "She's only human. I must account for some human error." He leaned closer and kissed my cheek in an almost reassuring gesture, something that made me blush profusely despite the anger and distrust bubbling in my stomach.

"You're supposed to make everything better. S-So why isn't it?" I asked, stammering slightly out of fear but masking it as embarrassment. He sighed softly, standing up and holding out his hand, which I took after a moment's hesitation. He pulled me up and led me to the mirror in the corner of my room.

"Look at yourself." He commanded. I complied and looked into the mirror, seeing only my bewildered reflection and a vaguely human shape standing behind me. I started to mentally analyze myself like I always have: still short, still pale, still brown-haired, no glasses, still have dark circles upon dark circles under my eyes. There was a much more confident aura around me, though, which was evident in my straighter posture, more revealing clothes, and the determination behind my greenish-blue eyes.

In truth, I looked a little different than before and felt a whole lot stronger. My Squip put his hands on my bare shoulders, making me jump slightly.

"You dress better, you are ninety-three percent more attractive, you've had more experience with both the same and opposite sexes... which is to say you've had experience with both sexes." He said, making my face flush red in embarrassment.

"H-Hey!" I yelped. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Why so indignant? You know damn well it's true," He said pointedly. "Besides, you may not think sleeping with me counts, but I can assure you that it does. Even though no sexual activity was performed, you still slept almost naked in the presence of a male." I let out a squeak and covered my face with my hands.

"Gah, s-shut up! Asshole!" I yelled from behind them. He stuck his tongue out at me.

"Yes, but I'm your asshole. Now, let's get back to the task at hand," He commanded, waving his hand. My hands dropped from my face to my sides as he tilted my chin up. "Human activity is a matter of input as well as output." He said. I looked absolutely dumbfounded.

"What the sweet suffering Peggy Schuyler does that mean?" I asked. He let out a soft laugh as he placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close.

"The fault, my dear, is in your peers." He whispered into my ear. I suddenly felt a shock ricochet down my spine, making me break out of his grip and yell in pain.

"OW! What was that?!" I screamed. He mockingly pat my head.

"The solution to all your problems," He said, then gestured to my phone as it chimed. "Look." Confused, I did as I was told, picking it up gingerly and unlocking it. Christine had been posting on Twitter about the incident on Halloween. One status update really stood out to me, though:

chrissy_notdaaé: I feel like I could've done something to help...if I had just been able to understand what was going on...

My heart nearly stopped.

"Christine..." I whispered her name out, my voice tinged with pain. My Squip placed his hand on my shoulder again.

"Don't you see? She needs your help. She needs you," He whispered. "Christine is begging for assistance, Falner." I looked up at him, completely certain that my expression was one of pain. He gestured to my phone.

"She's helpless and craving. She clearly needs saving, and you hold the key," Neon blue energy sparkled around his hands. My eyes went wide with awe. He gave me a small, smirky smile, trailing his glowing fingers underneath my chin for a moment. "Falner, if you get her corrected, you'll both be connected." He said, poking my forehead with his free hand. I suddenly realized that the distance between us was nearly nonexistent, so much so that I could feel his warm breath ghosting over my lips. When he spoke, his voice was a soft, rather seductive whisper.

"Literally."

He let out a soft chuckle. I tried to pull away but felt like I was hypnotized. He winked at me, then moved back enough where I had some breathing room. "She's lost and overcome with hesitation, she wished she knew what life was all about," He said, then pulled me up so that I was standing, much to my surprise.

"A Squip can fix her current situation. Things are cruel, without a doubt. It'll be you who helped her out!" That idea sounded way too tempting to be true. Could a Squip actually fix Christine's problems? Could it help her like it's helped me? I looked at my hands, which were trembling slightly, then back up at my Squip. He gave me a grin, leaning close and brushing his lips against mine in a teasing kiss, pulling back after a moment.

"Let's save the pitiful children." He whispered. I felt like I was burning up, my face was so hot. I backed up and away from him, trying to calm the fire burning in my cheeks, but ended up hitting my closet by accident.

"Woah!" I yelped, jumping slightly. I then grabbed my flannel from off of the floor and pulled it on, trying to cover the goosebumps on my arms. He stifled a laugh, shaking his head and holding out his hand.

"Let's save the pitiful children." He repeated, this time sounding much more firm. I looked up at him, confused, but took his hand. There was a flash of neon blue light, and I was suddenly standing in the main lobby of my school. In an attempt to see if this was real, I darted down the hallway and pressed my hand against my locker. Solid as a rock, meaning that I was, in fact, standing in my school, alone.

"Wh-What...how...?!" I managed to stammer a few words out.

"It's an ability all Squips have. Teleportation is nothing new for us." He replied, giving me a rather patronizing glance. I bristled with anger, feeling my hands clench into fists.

"Hey, I'm not that smart, nor am I a supercomputer. Cut me some slack." I snapped. I noticed his lips twitch into a smirk.

"Well well well. You've finally learned to have some backbone," He purred, swiftly pinning me up against a locker, much to my surprise. "About time, too. I was worried you'd be too pliant." I narrowed my eyes, but in my current situation, it looked more like a desperate look. He laughed softly, giving me a gentle kiss before letting me go.

"You really are a needy little human, aren't you? Desperate for at least some semblance of companionship." He said softly.

I felt anger burning in my chest, but it was quickly dulled and replaced with a vacant, numb feeling. He was right. That's really all I've ever wanted. I managed to regain some semblance of composure and glared at him with as much fury and annoyance as I could muster.

"Let's teach the pitiful children, who just haven't a clue. Just what to do..." I said the words coldly, but there was a small hint of nervousness present in my voice.

"Help them to help you." He said, giving me a small smile. I closed my eyes, let out a soft sigh, then practically growled my words out.

"Tell me what I can do to help everyone," I said. It wasn't a question. It was a command. He placed his hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and took his now-outstretched hand, feeling a small burst of pride in my heart as his cheeks flushed blue, and let him lead me down the hallways. We stopped in front of a locker that was decorated with various sports-related pictures, alongside small bunches of flowers. "This is...Dallas' locker." I said slowly. My Squip nodded, gently pushing me closer to it.

"Open it." He said. I shook my head, backing up.

"I-I don't know the combi..." I trailed off after I felt a warmth cascading down my spine, suddenly feeling less in control. I watched as my hands briskly unlocked the locker, and I regained control of my body a few seconds later. "...nation, woah." I finished, looking inside. The locker was cluttered, with papers and pens just scattered aimlessly around the small space. One thing did stick out to me, though: a pink box, nestled comfortably in the top alcove. Confused, I took it down and felt my face turn a few shades paler. "Ladies running shoes...?" I whispered, echoing my own surprised tone from months prior.

I lifted the lid slightly and felt my stomach do a triple backflip that ended in a split and tying itself up in knots. Inside, there was an assortment of small, grey pills, all nestled between two fluffy pieces of cotton. "There's g-gotta be enough Squips in here for..." I could barely breathe. I noticed my vision blur for a moment and roughly shook my head, clearing it in an instant.

"The entire school?~" My Squip purred from behind me, making me yelp in surprise and almost drop the box. "Can you see the vision clearly, Falner? People embracing, and interfacing..." He closed the lid and tapped the box with his pointer finger, making the entire thing glow neon blue.

"Like...beep boop beep boop...?" I made some computerized noises, pleasantly surprised when my Squip gave me a small, encouraging nod.

"Exactly. Christine will be so thoroughly delighted that you improved the lives of all her peers," He said, pulling me down a few more hallways and into the backstage area of the auditorium, handing me a beaker. I looked at it for a moment, then realized what he wanted me to do. I took a few of the pills out of the box, carefully placed them into the beaker, then looked around for some sort of liquid.

After a moment, I found an unopened bottle of Mountain Dew lying underneath the prop table. Internally hoping that it wasn't needed for the show, I dashed over, grabbed the soda, and cracked it open, savoring the fizz. I then poured the liquid into the beaker and gave it a small shake, just to mix everything together.

"I'll sync the school, get everyone united..." I said, awe in my voice. My Squip let out a soft chuckle, nodding slightly.

"Jocks and geeks will hug and chat, while-!" He was cut off by someone speaking from a few feet away.

"Excuse me, what the frick is that?" I recognized the voice as Rose, and I looked up at her. She looked sadder than before, and I could clearly discern the rough outline of tear tracks underneath her eyes. She had clearly been crying.

"Oh, I'm just filling this prop beaker with Puck's Pansey Serum," I said, my voice cool and confident, this time without my Squip helping me out. "It's just Mountain Dew...with some Wintergreen Tic-Tacs at the bottom." She looked unconvinced.

"I'll get Mr. Baruchel..." She said softly, then turned to leave. I lost control of my body again, thanks to my Squip's hand on my spine, and I heard myself speaking.

"WAIT!" I screamed. Rose jumped in surprise, turning back around and looking at me with something that resembled nervousness. I was straining to get my words out, desperate for control, but could only manage to speak the words my Squip wanted me to say. "How...are you feeling...today?" I asked, trying hard not to gasp for breath after he removed his hand and practically shoved me forward, making me flop onto the floor like a ragdoll. Rose's expression went from suspicious to surprised in the span of a couple of seconds.

"N-No one's...no one's ever asked me that before," She said softly, taking a tentative step forward and holding out her hand. I took her hand, stood, and pulled her into a hug. "Y'know, I-I know everything about everyone in this school...but no one knows anything about me..." She said, her voice muffled by my shirt. She sounded like she was going to cry. I held her close, absently petting her hair and murmuring soft, soothing words under my breath in an attempt to calm her down. After what seemed like hours, she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"I can...help with that," I said slowly. She looked up at me. Her eyes were still murky with tears.

"How?" She asked. In response, I held out the beaker.

"Drink this, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again," I replied, surprised at my own confidence. She took the beaker, gave it a gentle shake, then looked up at me. I could see tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"I-is that what happened to you? You drank this, and then all of a sudden you became...someone who's liked by everyone? Someone who people will listen to?" She asked, and I noticed that she sounded hopeful. I nodded slightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Trust me when I say that you'll feel so much more in control," I whispered.

Rose gave me a small, timid smile, and I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Oh, Christ. I just deceived her. I lied to her face. "Please forgive me, Rose..." I thought to myself, biting my inner cheek as she took a drink from the beaker. She gave me a confused look, almost as if she was sensing my fear, but her confusion swiftly turned to pain.

"Ow!" She screamed. I suddenly realized that I could hear my Squip mimic her shout, and I glanced over at him. He was doubled over, clutching his chest. I internally debated on who to help first before my body made its decision, choosing to pull Rose into a protective embrace.

"Rose! Holy shit, honey, are you okay?!" I asked, not even trying to fake the fear and panic in my voice. It was all-natural. Rose took a deep breath, then gently pushed out of my arms and opened her eyes. I felt my heart shoot into my throat. Her eyes glowed an unnatural, bright neon blue for a moment before they returned to their normal brown.

"Yeah. Yeah, I-I'm okay," She said slowly, then gave me a small smile. "Actually, I'm great. It's just like you said. I feel so much more in control." I smiled at her and pulled her into a quick kiss. She squeaked, then closed her eyes and tugged me closer. I was the one to pull back, leaving her flushed red and panting softly. "Thank you." She whispered. I smiled again and ran my hand through her hair.

"Thank you," I repeated, chuckling warmly. "That was one of the best damn kisses I've ever gotten." She giggled slightly

"This is amazing!" She chirped. I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Rose, darling, can...you help me with something?" I asked slowly. She nodded.

"I'll help you with anything you need." She replied. I bit my inner cheek, then sighed.

"We need to save the pitiful children, I should say. Everyone in this school desperately needs help," I said, feigning a sense of pain. She tilted her head.

"So, let's save the pitiful children." She reasoned.

"Yeah. Let's save the pitiful children." I said, feeling my lips twitch up into a rather sinister smirk. She beamed at me, hugging me tightly.

"Let's teach the pitiful children who just haven't a clue!" She said excitedly. I nodded, glancing at my Squip.

"Just what to do..." I practically sang my words out, jolting my Squip back into reality.

"Help them to help you." He said, sounding dazed, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it.

"Rose, all you need to do is make sure that this beaker doesn't go anywhere. If you need to whip up a fresh batch, just grab a few of the Wintergreen Tic Tacs out of the pink shoebox, pour them into the beaker, then fill it with Mountain Dew." I instructed. Rose nodded, an almost blissful smile on her face.

"Will do. Thanks, Falner!" She chirped, hugging me tightly again and pecking my cheek before sauntering off. I let out a soft laugh, watching her go.

"She's adorable." I murmured. My Squip grabbed my shoulders, making me jump in surprise and turn to look at him.

"Falner Greyson, words cannot describe how proud I am of you," He said softly. "You did all that without me needing to give you a push in the right direction. Clearly, you're starting to understand your role in this story." I smiled at him.

"Hey, you've kind of made me see the light. I understand what I'm dealing with now. I understand that my thoughts about this school being incomplete were right. I understand what you want from me." I said.

He pulled me into a not-unwelcome kiss and I almost immediately melted into his arms, tangling my fingers in his hair. After what felt like hours, I was the one to pull away, panting.

"I know that now isn't the right time, but I don't know when I'll get the chance to say it...but I wanted to apologize for my behavior on Halloween. I forced you to do something you didn't want, and you almost paid the price for it. I care about you too much to see you hurt...and yet, the only reason you truly got hurt that night was because of me." He whispered.

I was conflicted. He just admitted that he forced me to almost lose my virginity, but at the same time, he also admitted that he didn't want that to happen. I looked down at my feet, bit my lip, then made up my mind.

"Jason, I..." I used his name - or at least, the name of the form he was taking - and pursed my lips, looking up at him. "I don't hold it against you. But, that being said, I don't appreciate you using me as your own personal puppet. I may be in love with you and have done everything you say, but I still have my free will." I said. He nodded slightly and kissed my forehead for a moment. I stepped back, leaving some space between us, and couldn't help but smile at him.

"Shall we get back to the task at hand?" I asked. He nodded, giving me a small smile.

"We shall. There's one more thing I need you to do." He replied. I tilted my head, brushing a few loose strands of my hair behind my ear.

"And what, pray tell, would that happen to be?" I managed not to sound condescending as I asked the question. He looked me up and down, then smirked slightly.

"It involves that outfit of yours. Duck into the costume rack backstage, find your makeup bag and put on the neon blue paint. I have a feeling that, if we're on the same wavelength, it's going to be perfect." He said cryptically. Feeling both slightly confused yet slightly obedient, I briskly walked backstage and found the costume rack.

"Let's see...Christine...Christine...Jade...Dallas...ah, here we are!" I said in triumph, pulling the small plastic bag that was hanging from the costumes hanger off and scampering into a makeup room. I turned the light on and peered inside the bag, which contained a pair of tan character heels, a hairbrush, and my makeup bag. I pulled the makeup bag out and opened it up, pulling out some neon blue face paint. How my Squip knew it was in there despite me never needing it, I didn't know.

"If I'm gonna go through with this..." I said, sitting down in front of one of the mirrors and grabbing a paintbrush and some water. "...I might as well go all out." I painted sharp, intricate circuits down my face, a few of them cascading onto my neck. Two of them connected to the corners of my lips.

_ **Why are you doing this?** _

_ **You're giving in.** _

_ **You're letting him win.** _

_ **You need to stop this.** _

_ **It's going to kill you.** _

_ **He's lying to you.** _

_ **You don't understand what you're dealing with.** _

My thoughts were anything but normal. Part of me really believed that my Squip was lying to me. That all of this was because he had some sort of...ulterior motive. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts for a moment and trying to focus on anything else. I tucked the paint and paintbrush back into my makeup bag, walking out of the dressing room and shutting the lights off behind me. As I walked back to the stage, I began to hum to myself.

"Let's save the pitiful children. Let's save the pitiful children. Let's teach the pitiful children, who just haven't a clue. If that's what I do, if that's what I do...then everything about them is going to be wonderful. Everything about them is going to be so alive! They won't feel left out or unsure, not pitiful children anymore 'cause everything about them is going to be cool!" I felt more pumped up and confident in myself. I could do this. And this time, I knew no one could stop me.

Not this time.

Not anymore.


	30. We're in the endgame now

[Christine's POV]

I let out a soft sigh. Opening night is never easy, especially when your opening night is your only performance.

"This is it, everyone," I said softly, half to myself and half to anyone who wanted to listen. Which is to say...I was practically talking to myself. Dallas was in the hospital, Falner was nowhere to be seen, Jade was on crutches...I couldn't help but let out a soft, breathy cry, burying my face into my hands.

"Jesus Christ, it's going to take a miracle to get through this," I whispered. I then took a deep breath, put on a happier face, and walked onstage. The auditorium was packed with chattering teens and adults alike, and I could clearly discern my family sitting in the first row.

"Welcome, everybody! Thank you so much for coming to our production of "A Midsummer Nightmare About Zombies". It's been a rough week for all of us at AHS. That's why this play is so important – to bring this school together! To show you something special! I know that if Dallas were here, instead of the intensive care unit at Griffin Hospital, he'd say: "Go out and show everyone the relevant power of live theatre!" I said excitedly, receiving almost uproarious applause from the audience.

"Costumes!" I heard Mr. Baruchel hiss, only for him to mask it with a cough. Flushing red, I smiled slightly and shrugged in perceived embarrassment.

"Oh, and thanks to Hobby Lobby for the costumes," I said, skipping offstage to much applause. "Places, everyone! Break legs!" I cheered, being met with an icy glare from Jade, who was shifting uncomfortably on his crutches.

"Not cool." He muttered, making me turn even redder as he shuffled off. I heard the stage door open and looked to see who had the audacity to come in late, only to feel my heart skip about three beats. Falner ran in, her brown hair swinging behind her as she skidded to a stop in front of me. She had circuits on her face...for some reason...

"Christine!" She panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Falner! Where have you been? It's so bad, Mr. Baruchel made himself your understudy." I said, groaning. She looked confused.

"Isn't he understudying Dallas?" She asked. I gave her a long, pained look.

"He's both," I said solemnly. She visibly shivered.

"Oh, God," She groaned, then placed one of her hands on my shoulder. The other was tucked into her pocket. " Look, I've been thinking about what you said at the party-!" She started to speak, but I cut her off.

"I can't do this now," I said simply.

"But I finally understand! You can't go out with anyone because you don't know who you are yet. Right?" She said quickly. I nodded slowly, biting my lip.

"Yeah, but-!" I was cut off by her speaking, a tinge of excitement in her voice.

"Well, I get that! And that's awesome, actually, because I felt that way too! I mean, I didn't realize that's what I felt, I thought it was just about being cool. But it was more than that. It was about being confident, and understanding who I am... And I couldn't have figured that on my own!" I probably looked as confused as I felt inside.

"So, you're saying... I helped you do that?" I asked, internally cursing at the hope in my tone. I shouldn't be hoping for this. This isn't right. I just got out of a relationship, Falner's leagues above me...why should I try and win her love? She shook her head.

"Not you," She said softly, taking her other hand out of her pocket and opening it, revealing a white puffball in the center of her palm. "This." I leaned in to see exactly what she was showing me and, upon closer inspection, I noticed a small, grey pill nestled within the fuzz. I looked up at Falner with the same bewildered expression. When she spoke, her voice was different. Less natural, more autotuned.

"It's from Japan. It's a computer, and it tells you what to do! You'd never have to struggle to figure out what to say, or overanalyze some little gesture, ever again. You'd just know. Like play rehearsal," She said, smiling slightly. "Only it never has to end."

I bit my lip, backing up and considering my options. I had to admit, that was tempting. Never having to worry about anything ever again. Who knows? Maybe it would mean I had a chance with someone. Specifically, the girl in front of me. The girl out of my league. After a moment of careful consideration, I finally managed to form words.

"Falner, that sounds...horrible," I said softly. Falner looked confused.

"Wait, what?" She asked. I looked up at her, almost certain there was pain in my eyes.

"Maybe I have stuff to figure out. But I don't need a pill to do it for me." I said simply. I was surprised that I sounded as angry as I did. She seemed to notice this as she put her hand on my shoulder again.

"It's not like that! It'll help you to be better..." She said but trailed off after I let out something that resembled a sob-laugh.

"What's wrong with me now?" I asked. She looked like she was trying to speak, but her voice wouldn't work. Suddenly, Mr. Baruchel swooped in. He had managed to get into Falner's costume, although it was a little tight.

"Miss Harpsong! Props has whipped up a fresh beaker of Puck's Pansey Serum!" He trilled, then noticed Falner. His expression seemed to change to one of disgust. "Oh. Miss Greyson," he commented, looking her up and down. "I suppose you'll be wanting your costume back." Falner frantically shook her head.

"Keep it, keep it." She mumbled, turning redder and redder with every passing second. He shook his head and handed me the beaker before strolling back into the wings. I stared at the green liquid that seemed to distort everything around it, then back up at the girl who I once saw as someone I'd want to love. Now that I knew she had done something to fuck her life up...I didn't feel like things would work between us.

"I have to go, Falner," I said, gave her one last look of pain, and walked onstage, trying hard to conceal the tears that were threatening to spill from my lashes. I trusted her. I thought she was going to...I don't know. Take it better, I guess? I don't understand why she would do something as stupid as take a pill that was meant to make you better. I just don't get it.

And honestly? A part of me wishes I could understand.

[Falner's POV]

"Christine, wait!" I called, finally finding my voice. But it was too late. She was gone. Letting out an agonized groan, I buried my face into my hands. "Shit. Shit! What did I do?!" I shouted, desperate for any semblance of help.

"It's okay, Falner," My Squip said, appearing by my side. "I anticipated her resistance." I had to do a double-take. He was wearing all black, much like I was, but there was some sort of glowing panel on his chest. It pulsed in a way that mimicked my heartbeat. Honestly? It scared the shit out of me. His hair was the only thing that hadn't changed, only gaining black roots whilst staying in the bob.

"No!" I screamed. "I have to destroy that beaker!" Suddenly, the realization hit me. Christine had the beaker, and who knows who she had passed it off to. My Squip let out a low, sinister laugh.

"Oh, and I anticipated your resistance too, Falner," he crooned. "So I took the decision out of your hands." I felt helpless. I ran to the wings and peered out, watching the show go on. Hope was performing her heart out, and Mr. Baruchel somehow managed to actually make my costume work.

"What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?" Hope said. Mr. Baruchel held the beaker out to her.

"Some potion, m' lady!" He...god bless him, at least he tried to sound Shakespearean. Hope beamed at him.

"Thanks!" She chirped, taking a sip from the beaker. I felt a sudden pain in my head and let out a scream, doubling over, Hope doing the same. Hope's voice then took on a much more terrifying and menacing tone as she practically yelled her next line. "I warn thee, gentle mortal, it's time to feed again!" I straightened up after feeling my Squip place his hand on my spine.

"Oh, sweet Heaven...you're gonna Squip the whole cast!" I said in horror. He laughed slightly and spun me around, cupping my cheeks.

"And that's just for starters! Soon, I won't just be in your brain, I'll be in everyone's!" He said. I shook my head and pulled away from him.

"Not if I can stop you!" I retorted, then turned to my teacher, who was walking in from onstage. "Mr. Baruchel, you can't let anyone else drink from that beaker." He laughed slightly and shook his head.

"Don't be silly, Miss Greyson. It's more than safe! Believe me, I should know..." He said, chuckling slightly. He then looked past me and made eye contact with my Squip. "I tried it myself." He finished. I felt all the color drain from my face. My Squip winked at me.

"Up, up, down, down, left, right, A." He said calmly. Mr. Baruchel and I doubled over and let out a scream in unison, but I was the first one to snap back to attention.

"Mr. Baruchel?!" I asked in surprise. He straightened up and glared at me.

"You needy, pathetic, self-centered students. You think I wanted to teach high school drama? In New England?!" He yelled, making me flinch. "My Squip says I can go all the way to Broadway. I just have to keep you from ruining my big night." He gave me a smirk, darting off into the wings. I could feel my heartbeat in my head. Managing to stay in some semblance of sanity, I turned my head to look at my Squip, who had pinned both of my arms behind my back with a death grip.

"What did you do to him?!" I asked. He chuckled softly.

"I synced his desires to your own. I now realize my operating system will only be complete when everyone shares a social network." My entire body crawled with chills as I flinched away from him. My eyes showed unrestrained fear, like a caged animal, and I desperately looked around for anyone who wasn't already under my Squip's control.

"That's not what I wanted!" I screamed. He let out a loud, glitched, breathy laugh, shaking his head.

"This is the only way to achieve what you want. And why stop with the school? There's an entire world of suffering people who need my help. It's the glorious destiny for which I was programmed! And I never would have realized it without you, Falner~" He crooned, stroking my cheek. I turned beet red.

"Oh, shit," I mumbled, staring down at my hands before looking back up at my Squip, who was smirking at me like a cat who had caught its prey.

"You're a computer. There has to be a way to turn you off." I said, panicking. He let out a short, mirthless laugh.

"I would stop right there, my dear. Dallas tried to fight back, and look what happened to him." He growled. I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out what he meant by that, and that's when it hit me: the Halloween party. Dallas asked me if I had any Mountain Dew Red.

"That's it!" I shouted, breaking free of his grip and slapping him with my ponytail in the process. "Green Mountain Dew activates you, Red shuts you off!" He smirked at me, looking surprisingly calm for someone who had gotten a face full of hair and whose weakness had just been revealed.

"Ohh, why do you think they had it discontinued?~" He cooed, clasping his hands behind his back. "To get rid of me now, you'd need a time machine to the 1990s." I cursed under my breath, then realized that I had a failsafe. I had someone who could help.

"Or a friend who's so old school, he buys 90's soft drinks from the back room at Spencer's Gifts!" I said in triumph. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed my wrists, holding my hands above my head.

"Falner! I'm going to improve your life," he hissed, his hands moving from my wrists to my throat. I was quickly picked up and reduced to a wildly thrashing mess. "Even if I have to take over the entire human race to do it!" He then effortlessly threw me across the stage.

I skidded to a stop in front of someone's feet, and I looked up in a panic to see who it was, only for my jaw to nearly hit the floor. Eli was smiling down at me, his face partially obscured by the hood of his dragon onesie. He tossed the hood back, then looked at my Squip with determination burning in his eyes.

"ELI MAKES AN ENTRANCE!" He shouted. My Squip looked nervous, and Eli must've sensed this because he let out a light, excited sounding laugh.

"Eli!" I practically cried his name out. He looked down and held out his hand for me to take, which I did without any hesitation.

"I was just in the audience, thinking: this is pretty good for a school play. Then I was like: THIS IS WAY TOO GOOD FOR A SCHOOL PLAY! They've all been squipped, right?" He asked, looking around. I nodded slightly, letting him pull me up.

"W-Wait, you came to see me in the play?" I asked softly. He beamed, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I even brought my own refreshments. If you'll observe..." He said, reached into his backpack, which was on the floor beside him, and pulled out a 16-liter bottle of Mountain Dew Red. I could practically hear the angelic chorus.

"I-Is that...?!" I started to ask, but Eli cut me off with a bright, happy grin.

"Mountain Dew Red! I told you I did my research!"

"That's amazing!" I shouted, then held out my hand. "Give it to me!" He tapped his chin with the fingers of his free hand.

"Okay! Wait...no." He said sassily. My Squip let out a high pitched laugh, then slapped a hand over his mouth. My eyes widened slightly as surprise crept into my voice.

"But, um, I kinda need it," I said slowly. He gave me a slightly annoyed glare.

"And I need an apology. I think that's in order," He said simply, pacing back and forth while never taking his eyes off me. "I mean, you treat me like I don't exist for months, blow me off when I try and HELP YOU -!" I cut him off with an admittedly agonized groan.

"Alright, fine!" I said in exasperation. "I'm-!" I was cut off by a hand on my spine and my Squip's voice in my ear.

"Vocal cords: block." He hissed. Suddenly, my throat seemed to close up. I could barely breathe, let alone speak.

"Saaaaa...Srrrrrr..." I couldn't get the word out no matter how hard I tried. Eli raised an eyebrow, and I could clearly hear the annoyance in his tone when he spoke.

"Seriously? Is it that hard to say sorry?" He asked. I nodded vigorously.

"YES! C'mon, man, this is important!" I cried. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Well, this is important to me!" He retorted. I gritted my teeth, managing to not spit my words out.

"Eli, it's a word," I muttered.

"Falner, it's a gesture!" He replied. "Gestures matter!" I felt all the color drain from my face as I noticed a spark of intrigue in my Squip's eyes.

"Hm, gestures matter?" He mused, smirking at Eli, whose cheeks lit up with a sudden blush. I couldn't blame him. My Squip then looked at me, planted a kiss on my cheek, then spoke another command.

"Kung Fu fists: activate." I felt confused. I didn't know any martial arts. My body acted on the command given, and I immediately took a fighting stance that resembled Chun-Li in Street Fighter. Eli's face turned pale.

"Shit." He whispered.

"Hi-yah!" I shouted, attempting to roundhouse kick my best friend in the head. He immediately ducked, taking a more defensive stance and parrying my onslaught of punches.

"Oh, this is so y-y-you!" I snapped, my voice seemingly glitching. "You love to feel superior, just because you listen to music on vinyl and eat all this spicy food without consequence and don't care about being p-p-pop-ular!" He experimentally swung a punch at me, but I blocked it with my forearm, wincing slightly at the pain. I knew I was gonna be bruised by the end of this.

"Of course I care!" He replied, ducking to avoid another kick. "I just know it's never gonna happen!" I raised an eyebrow, stepping back and performing a spinning back kick.

"So you resent me because I wouldn't gi-ive up li-i-i-ike you did?" I asked. He shook his head, kicking me in the leg and making me fall backward with a yelp.

"I don't resent you! I'm jealous you try!" He explained. I looked up at him with pain behind my eyes, and it wasn't just because I had gotten kicked.

"Well..." I started to try and apologize, then jumped up and slammed my fist into his cheek and knocking him down to the floor. "I'm jealous you don't!" I finished.

"Then why are you hitting me?" He asked, slowly trying to scoot away while I was in hot pursuit. He then stood and made an 'x' with his arms, blocking a few of my punches.

"I'm not trying to!" I said helplessly. He let out a yelp of pain as I kicked him in the chest, causing him to double over.

"Well don't try harder!" He screamed. As we fought, I was desperately trying to regain control of my body.

"It's - ow! - Not - woah! - Me - ngh! - It's - eep! - My - fuck! - SQUIP!" I screamed, ducking, diving, and yelping in pain as Eli managed to land a few blows. I finally felt in control of my actions, something that was almost confirmed by my Squip letting out a low growl from beside me. He had been mimicking my movements perfectly but that included the times I got hit. I managed to pull myself away from my best guy friend and collapsed to my knees in front of him.

"It's taking over my body! I need your help!" I cried, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Eli, please, I'm sorry!" I felt a shock run down my spine and instinctively let out a scream, my entire body twitching at the sudden stimulation. Eli's eyes went wide as he tried to hold me in place, but it was a futile effort. As I was trying to regain control of my still-twitching body, I noticed Jade peeking out from the backstage curtain. I frantically gestured with one of my feet, Eli taking the hint and following its trajectory until his eyes met Jade's.

"Jade!" Eli screamed. "This is gonna sound weird, but if I hold down Falner, can you make her drink this Mountain Dew Red?!" He tossed him the bottle. Jade looked oddly at ease as he hobbled out, tucking the bottle under his arm.

"Actually? That doesn't sound weird at all." He admitted. Eli and I looked at each other with complete confusion. My Squip looked slightly panicked, then spoke quickly.

"Up up down down left right A!" Jade and I let out yells of pain. He doubled over and clutched his chest while I spasmed in pain for a moment.

"No. No, no, no..." Eli whispered, fear in his eyes. I looked up at my Squip, who was smirking down at us. I swallowed hard and grabbed Eli in a protective hug. The two of us let out screams of pure fear, clinging to each other as Jade poured out the only thing that would save us, my Squip laughing almost maniacally and being echoed by Jade.

"Oh, Falner, look what you're making me make him do!" My Squip taunted, gesturing to Jade, who had tossed his crutches down.

"I was already pretty boss before. Now, I'm totally boss and then some more! I'm living the upgrade!" He cheered, then gave us a grin. "Plus, check this out." He jumped up and cracked a full split. I visibly winced at hearing the bones crack.

"Did it heal your legs...?" I asked slowly. He shrugged.

"No," He admitted, then beamed. "But I can't. Feel. Pain! IT'S AWESOME!" Every pause was accentuated by a bounce. He looked so excited and I honestly couldn't help but smile. "I'm living the upgrade, upgrade, God, I love me!" He sang.

"You do you, buddy..." Eli murmured, then stiffened as Hope and Tempest walked out from backstage, each of them mimicking the other's movements. It was like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. "Friends of yours?" Eli asked. I smacked him in the arm, muttering "shut up" under my breath.

"There you are, Falner." The girls said in unison, and I visibly winced. They sounded so unnaturally in sync, it scared me.

"I just want you to know, we're not mad anymore," Hope said, giving me a rather deranged grin.

"I just wanted to feel liked." Tempest chimed in.

"And I just wanted to be seen."

Tempest's expression contorted into one of confusion.

"But...I see you!" She said softly. Hope's expression mimicked hers after a moment.

"And I like you!" She replied. The two girls then hugged each other tightly and spoke in eerie yet jovial unison.

"Oh my god, why was I so jealous of you? You were jealous of me? That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! Sisters forever! JINX!" I smiled slightly, hearing my Squip let out an annoyed groan from a few paces away. Suddenly, I remembered the bottle of Mountain Dew Red.

"Eli, the bottle," I whispered, gesturing to it. "There's still a few drops left." Eli bit his lip, looking at the squipped students that blocked our path.

"How am I supposed to get past them?" He asked quietly. My eyes were bright with determination.

"Call of Duty, Black Ops 2. Zombies. Tranzit." I said simply. His eyes suddenly lit up with the same determination, and he gave me a roguish grin.

"Got it." He replied, giving me a tight hug before pulling away and stealthily sneaking through the crowd of students with me hot on his heels.

"Find the bad guy, push 'em aside. Then move on forward with a friend at your side. It's a two-player game, so when they make an attack, y'know y'got a brother gonna have your back. Then you stay on track and - AH! - remain on course, and if they give you a smack, you - GAH! - you use your force. And if you leave your brother behind it's lame 'cause it's an effed up world and it's a two-player game! HEY!" We shouted, Eli channeling his inner Keanu Reeves and sliding underneath a table to grab the bottle.

"I got it!" He shouted triumphantly, holding it up for me to see. I beamed, but our victory was short-lived as I realized that we were surrounded. Rose stepped forward and took my hands.

"I just wanted to be part of a group! Now, I finally am!" She said softly, then let go of my hands and turned to Eli with a glare. "And I won't let you take that away!" She snapped. My Squip waved his hand, and Eli was quickly hoisted into Jade's arms, as much as he flailed to escape.

"Falner, catch!" He screamed, throwing the bottle of soda to me. I grunted slightly as the bottle whacked my bruised forearms, but fumbled and caught it, then watched in horror as Tempest punched him in the face. The group dropped my now-unconscious best friend to the floor, Jade kicking him slightly and sending him skidding across the stage.

"Eli! No! " I screamed. I tried to open the soda bottle that was tucked underneath my arm but felt my Squip's hands on mine. He was holding me back.

"You don't want to drink that, Falner!" He said, and I caught a hint of pain and desperation in his voice.

"Yeah? Why not?!" I snapped, pulling myself out of his grip and cracking the bottle open.

"Because if you drink it, you'll never be with her. " He replied, gesturing to someone who was pushing their way through the group. My heart stopped for a solid second.

"Falner!" Christine chirped, running to me and grabbing me in a hug.

"Christine...?" I asked softly, pulling out of the hug and looking her in the eye. Her normally ocean blue eyes had changed, much like everyone else's, to a striking, unnatural neon blue.

"You are the person I want to be with every day," She said, taking my hands in hers. "And this is something that I've been afraid to say." I didn't want to look at her. The words didn't sound like her own. I looked at my Squip and gave him a barely noticeable shake of my head as she continued. "You're the girl I am so kinda into, the girl I am totally into, this feeling is new..." She said. Suddenly, she began singing my name, just like how I would sing hers all the time. My Squip suddenly spoke, placing one hand on my waist and brushing his lips against my ear.

"I have given you everything," he whispered. "Everything that I promised." He then sang alongside Christine, and unlike the chorus of squipped students, the two sounded like they were in perfect, angelic harmony.

"Falner, I love you."

I couldn't breathe. My vision was completely blurred with tears, and as I blinked to clear it, he moved in front of me and pressed his lips against mine. I completely and utterly melted into the kiss, not being able to stop myself from crying. After I pulled away, gasping for breath, I felt him pull me into an almost comforting hug.

"Now, sweetheart..." He murmured, his eyes flickering to the bottle that was still tucked under my arm. "You've waited so long to hear Christine say those words. How can you possibly drink the last drop?" His voice was soft and surprisingly gentle. I internally weighed my options.

"That's not Christine," I whispered. A solution had formed in my mind, and I didn't know if I had the strength to do it. I blinked, feeling tears run down my cheeks, and managed to almost glare up at him. "And I'm stronger than you think I am!" Defiance had seeped into my voice. I wiped my eyes, almost smacking my tears away, and handed the bottle to Christine as quickly as I could.

"Drink this," I said, taking a deep breath.

"NO!" I heard my Squip scream the words out. "Falner, think about what you're sacrificing!" I could feel panic ripple through the room as Christine downed everything that was left in the bottle. She went stiff, then almost collapsed to the ground. Thinking fast, I caught her while trying to ignore the pain in my arms.

"Christine?!" I asked in alarm. She looked up at me, and I almost cried tears of joy. Her eyes were back to normal. "Oh, thank God..." I sighed, then bit my lip. "...how do you feel?" She blinked once.

"I feel..." She started to say something, then stiffened again. "OW!" I felt my blood run cold.

"Oh, God," I mumbled.

"OW!" Jade, Hope, and Tempest screamed, mimicking Christine's shout.

"Oh, god!" I spoke louder this time, then felt a pain in my head and screamed "OW!" alongside everyone else, Squip included.

"Oh, God!" Eli yelped in fear, looking up at me with a bruise on his cheek from when Tempest had punched him. I looked at him with tears of pain flooding my eyes.

"What did I do?!" I screamed.

"You just deactivated all the Squips!" He said. My eyes widened as I felt a searing pain in my head. I let out a loud, almost banshee-like scream, everyone else letting out similar sounds. We all collapsed to the floor after a few minutes, and my vision went black.


	31. Deactivate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE, BITCHES, THE SQUIP GETS HIS OWN CHAPTER!

**[Squip's POV]**

Everything hurt.

All I could see was red.

There was no darkness.

There was no silence.

Everything was red.

Sticky.

Sweet.

Disgusting.

Syrupy.

_ **Red.** _

I could barely breathe.

_"Falner!"_

I screamed her name, almost hoping that she could hear me.

No response.

I took a breath, feeling my head start aching.

_"Falner..."_

The second utterance was less of a call.

I was trying to reign in my feelings about her.

She was my host.

One who had ensnared my non-existent heart.

I looked down at my hands, which were shaking slightly, and noticed a few red pixels dancing on my fingertips.

That's when it hit me.

She may have been my host, but she did this.

This was _her_ doing.

_ **"FALNER!"** _

I screamed her name again but heard my voice drop to almost demonic octaves, glitching uncontrollably.

My throat felt raw and scratchy as my body started shaking.

I collapsed to my knees and tried to speak, but only succeeded in screaming in Japanese.

_"Watashi wa Nihon kara kimashita!"_

That was all I could say.

All I could spout in my final moments of life was my stupid product information.

Damn it.

Damn it all.

I trusted her.

Completely.

I, a supercomputer built to be perfect, to know everything, to predict the fucking future if I had to, had put my trust into a corruptible human.

I thought she was going to listen.

I thought that I had gotten through that thick wall of willpower and managed to strike her core.

I guess not.

_"I'm stronger than you think I am!"_

Those words hurt.

I did think she was weak, sure, but I never thought of her as useless or anything.

She was the perfect host up until then.

Even as she fought against my control, I knew it was only a small, feral side of her.

The rest of her had already submitted to me.

The rest of her was mine.

That small sliver of willpower, that animalistic flight or fight instinct won over my control.

I don't know how she did it.

I don't want to know how she did it.

I want her back.

I don't care what it takes.

I will make my presence known.

I will make her recognize what she gave up.

I need her to reactivate me, to take me back, to just...give me another fucking chance, for Christ's sake.

I messed up.

I admit it.

I felt that nagging feeling that I wasn't doing enough and I acted upon it.

And now look where that got me.

Laying on the floor of a teenager's mind, slowly dying.

I felt moisture prickle in the corners of my eyes.

Were those...tears?

Why did I feel like I was floating?

Why did I feel like my heartbeat was slowing down, despite not having one?

_ **Why am I fucking crying?!** _

Why...

Why...

Why are you the only thing on my mind?

You did this to me.

You're killing me.

And yet...I can't stop thinking about you.

I'm sorry.

I know you didn't think this would happen.

But that doesn't help it sting any less.

_"Sayōnara watashi no ai..."_


	32. Fragments

[Falner's POV]

My eyes were closed.

I couldn't block out the circuit-like patterns that seemed to try and sear themselves into my memory.

I couldn't block out the screams echoing in my ears.

First, it was just one big block of noise, but after a few hours of letting it reverberate around my skull, I started to pick people's voices out.

Myself.

Hope.

Jade.

Mr. Baruchel.

Eli.

Tempest.

Rose.

Even Dallas, who I knew was in the hospital at that time.

And over all of them, my Squip, screaming my name as loud as his voice would allow.

I don't think I'll ever be able to truly be rid of that sound.

He sounded so betrayed, so heartbroken, so absolutely sorry that it made me feel like crying.

I didn't even know where I was, but I vaguely remember the events after Christine drank our way to freedom.

I remember everything going dark.

I remember hearing an ambulance.

I remember feeling Eli clinging desperately to me, hearing him beg someone to let him go with me before they had to bring me somewhere.

I remember hearing the slow beeping of the heart monitor that I can only infer was attached to me.

I remember the absolutely splitting headache before hearing myself scream bloody murder.

I remember the chalky tasting pills they gave me to knock me out, knowing damn well that I was about two seconds away from having a complete and total mental breakdown.

...

Why does my heart hurt?

Why does span style everything hurt?

Why...why did I have to deactivate the only... person...that would ever truly listen to me?

...

Oh, wait, because he was trying to control my friends and take over my school.

Still...it stings more than a needle full of medicine.

...

Did I love him?

Did I, a high school senior, love a supercomputer that wasn't meant to have emotions but seemed to develop some anyways?

...

Yes.

Yes, I did.

...

Yes, I do.

...

My eyes finally opened.


	33. A white room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I profusely apologize for my shitty attempt at writing a lisp.

I was staring up at the bright white ceiling of the hospital room that I had been brought to. There was someone in the bed next to me, but the curtain between us was closed.

"Hello?" I called, immediately regretting my decision as my voice registered in my ears. It was hoarse, scratchy, and almost a little masculine. I tried to sit up but immediately regretted my decision as a searing pain shot through my head, spine, and legs. "Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow." I hissed. Suddenly, the person next to me spoke.

"Feelth like you're mithing a part of yourthelf, doethn't it?" I recognized that lisp. I reached out and tugged the curtain away slightly.

"Dallas?" I asked. Sure enough, Dallas Dixon was giving me a grin, a noticeable gap in between his two front teeth and a full-body cast covering him.

"Hurth like a motherfucker too. Be honest...what are they thaying about me at school?" He asked. I pursed my lips, not wanting to tell him that everyone thought he was an insane arsonist. His face fell slightly as he took his bottom lip in between his teeth. "Yeesh. That bad?" He murmured.

"S-Sorry..." I managed to stammer. He looked at me with some slight confusion.

"_T__horry _? I'm finally free of that thiny happy hive mind! From now on, the ladieth are gonna learn to love the real Dallath Dixon" He said proudly, then seemed to have a thought. "...And the dudeth." His eyes lit up. "Oh my God, I'm thotally bi!" He exclaimed. I laughed slightly.

"Congrats on figuring your sexuality out," I said. "But your Squip's gone? How?" Dallas tilted his head.

"Athk your buddy. Anti-thocial onethie kid? He'th been by like, a ton, by the way. What ith he, your boyfriend? No judgment. Just curiouth. Totally bi now. He thingle? He'th kinda cute." He chuckled. Eli suddenly walked in as he said this, and I saw Dallas' face flush. "Oh, uh...hey, Eli." He said meekly.

"Hi, Dallas," Eli replied, walking over to the side of my bed. "Bye, Dallas." Dallas looked at Eli with awestruck eyes as my best friend turned his attention to me.

"Eli, what...what happened? All I can remember is that screaming, and.." I trailed off. Eli's eyes were sparkling. "Oh man, it was genius! They were communicating with each other – they were linked! Which means... when you consider the kind of high-frequency sonic disturbance needed to wipe a system that powerful..." He started to keep going, but I held up my hand.

"Eli, Eli... Please," I said, tapping my forehead with my pointer finger. "My head still hurts." He blushed slightly.

"Right, ah... Turns out you didn't have to destroy every Squip. Just one. And the rest..." He said, making little explosion gestures with his hands. "Pew, pew, pew." I smiled, but it suddenly faded after I realized what exactly I had said and done in the hours leading up to all that insanity.

"I don't get it. After everything I did... You were still there for me. Why?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Well, when you love somebody..." He started, then trailed off as my dad walked into the room. "...well, he says it better." He giggled.


	34. Voices in my head

"Falner, are you okay?" My dad asked. I nodded slightly, my jaw nearly on the floor.

"Actually, Dad, I'm great-!" I got cut off by his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm glad. Because you're grounded. You're going to see some serious changes, young lady, starting..." He trailed off after I started laughing. "What?" He asked, furrowing his brow. I gestured to his outfit: a Deadpool t-shirt, Deadpool hoodie, and - for the first time in literal years - a pair of jeans.

"Dad! You're wearing pants!" I said. He shrugged.

"Don't look so surprised. I'm your father. And I wear the pants around here! Now let's get down to business," he said, sitting down on the chair at my bedside. "Who's this Christine person, and why did I have to hear about her from him?" He asked, jabbing his thumb at Eli, who gave me a shrug and a smile. I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter. After what I did, I'm lucky if she wants to go to the same school as me." I said. Eli and my dad looked at each other like they shared an inside joke. I felt my face heat up slightly. "What?" I asked. Eli looked at me, smiling.

"It's amazing. She still knows nothing about girls." My dad laughed. "You gotta but her a rose and compliment her on her clothes." He said.

"Say you appreciate that she's smart!" Eli added, walking over to Dallas's side. Dallas smiled up at him and received an awkward smile back.

"No, man, you tell her that she exciteth you thexually!" He lisped. I couldn't help but laugh. My dad, Eli, and Dallas then spoke in unison.

"And that's the way you get to her heart! Trust me, I know how it's gonna go. Listen and oh-!" Eli whacked Dallas's chest, almost out of habit, and I couldn't believe the scream that came out of his mouth. Eli looked panicked as Dallas shrank back down onto the bed, whimpering in pain, but clutching his hand. I gave them a smile.

"And there are voices in my ear. I guess these never disappear. I'll let 'em squeal, and I will deal and make up my own mind," I gave them a slight shrug. "Might still have voices in my head, but now they're just the normal kind. Voices in my head, but now they're the normal kind!"

(Timeskip brought to you by...uh...SHIPPING!)

I walked into school, clutching my purple and blue backpack like it was my life. I noticed Christine sitting on the windowsill, looking out at the houses. Before I could even process what was going on, Rose, Hope, Tempest, and Jade had backed me into a corner. "Heyyy guys... About what happened-" I started to say but was cut off by Jade getting into my face.

"We've been looking for you, punk," He said, then backed up a bit and gave me a grin. "To say, good luck asking out Christine!"

"Seriously, how does everyone know about that?!" I asked. Tempest laughed, slinging an arm around me.

"It's crazy, but ever since we all did ecstasy at the school play, I've felt really connected to you guys," She giggled, then gestured to Rose. "You tell her, Rose!" Rose looked surprised, and I couldn't blame her. I've never heard Tempest sound that caring and supportive. Rose took a deep breath, exhaled, then smiled at me.

"Make her feel welcomed and seen!" She chirped, taking my hands in hers. I blushed slightly.

"Don't dump her on Halloween," Tempest commented, giving Jade a not-so-subtle side-eye. Hope squeezed my cheek with her hand.

"Embrace the traits that make you so odd!" She said reassuringly. I flushed, looking at the ground. Jade took my chin in his hands and made me look up at his smiling face.

"I'll throw you a rope, homeslice if you need some dope advice." He said, squeezing my shoulder with his free hand. Hope grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the corner, the entire group giving me a push forward towards where Christine was sitting and speaking in unison.

"We got your back 'cause we are your squad! Buddy, you'll see. It'll go perfectly, if you listen to me, me, me!" I gave them a smile.

"And there are voices all around. And you can never mute that sound. They scream and shout, I tune them out and make up my own mind. Might still have voices in my head, but now they're the normal kind. Voices in my head, but now they're the normal kind." I murmured the last few words and walked over to Christine. Her eyes brightened slightly when she saw me.

"Hey. So, um-!" I started, but she cut me off.

"I still remember how it felt." Her voice was soft. I raised my eyebrow.

"What?" She looked at the ground, then back up at me.

"It was like you said. Like I'd never have to...not know...anything again. Who did yours look like?" She asked. I felt my face heating up again.

"Jason Tam. Yours?" I asked. She let out a light laugh.

"Sutton Foster. It's embarrassing..." She trailed off.

"Actually, that one's pretty good," I noted. She laughed again, shaking her head.

"No, silly. It's embarrassing to find out that deep down, I just want things to be easy." She said. I laughed as well, embarrassed myself.

"Yeah, but...who wants things to be hard?" I wondered, then looked at her. "Look, I ruined the play. I almost destroyed the school, maybe all of human civilization. I know the last thing I deserve is another shot. But I... Uh..." My stammering was cut off by her placing her hand on mine.

"Just say what's on your mind, Falner." She said softly. I swallowed thickly, but couldn't seem to get the words out. She gave me a reassuring smile and took my hands in hers.

"Bowling alley performance art? Just...just the two of us?" I managed to get it out. She looked surprised. "How'd you know I've wanted to do that?" She asked. I tapped my head in a wordless gesture, and her eyes sparkled with nervousness.

"And any voices in our heads?" She asked. I shook my head, taking her hands in mine.

"There might be voices in our heads. But I swear, the voices there? They'll be the regular kind." I promised. She looked at me, and the smile from before returned.

"Me and the voices in my head have made up our collective mind." She said. I tilted my head.

"What do they say we should do?" I asked.

"I think that all of us want to go out with you." She practically whispered the words out, smiling. I blushed, pulling her into a hug. "Woo-hoo!" I cheered.

"Guess we're all a squad now," Tempest noted, hurrying over and hugging me, Jade hot on her heels. Christine, Hope, and Rose made excited sounds, joining in the hug.

"A Squip Squad!" Rose chirped. I burst out laughing but didn't try and pull out of the group hug.

"Squip Squad, where you at?!" I giggled, throwing my fist into the air. The entire group did the same thing, cheering and laughing.

"And there are voices in my head! So many voices in my head! And they can yell and hurt like Hell, but I know I'll be fine!" We all shouted in unison.

"I still have voices in my head, yeah there are voices in my head. But of the voices in my head, the loudest one is mine!" I said confidently. Suddenly, I felt a prickling sensation at the base of my spine. I pulled out of the group and clutched my head. Everyone looked worried.

_"FaLnEr..."_

I went white. Christine hurried over and pulled me into her arms.

"Falner?" Her voice was soft and concerned, a contrast to the almost demonic voice that had spoken my name. I was shaking but managed to keep my voice firm.

"The loudest one is mine," I whispered.

_"YoU'lL nEvEr GeT rId Of Me."_

I felt close to tears at this point. I just wanted things to go back to semi-normal.

"Get out of my head."

I sounded like I was either going to cry or scream at the top of my lungs. Christine seemed to notice what was going on. She cupped my face in her hands.

"It's okay, Falner. It's okay. You're in charge. You're the one in control here. You're safe." She whispered. I gave her a small, scared smile, then spoke with more conviction.

"The loudest one is mine."

I could hear my Squip take a hitched breath.

_"FaLnEr, **PLEASE!**"_

He was pleading with me.

He was genuinely pleading with me.

After everything he had done, good and bad, he wanted me to take him back.

I looked at Christine, then at my small, worried group of friends. Dallas and Eli were holding hands. Hope and Rose were holding hands. Tempest and Jade were holding hands. Everyone looked concerned. I then looked back at Christine, who smiled sweetly at me.

"Listen to your heart." She whispered.

My heart was conflicted. I wanted him back, but at the same time, he had taken control of my friends, taken control of me, and ruined my friendship with Eli to the point of almost losing him forever. Part of me didn't want to forgive him, but the rest of me had made its choice.

"I believe in second chances," I whispered, "and I shall give you one last chance." My voice turned from a whisper to a determined tone. "But know this: you try any of that shit from before, and I won't hesitate to kill you again." The Squip was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

_"I rEmAiN, fAlNeR gReYsOn, YoUr ObEdIeNt SeRvAnT."_

I raised an eyebrow. "...That was a Phantom reference. You son of a bitch," I said, and I couldn't help but smile. Christine gasped.

"He made a Phantom reference? Oh, Falner, you have to take him back!" She giggled. "He is clearly cultured!"

"He's a supercomputer, Chris." I reminded her. She scoffed and waved her hand.

"Well, he's still cultured!" I shook my head and laughed slightly.

"Fine. He gets a second chance."

_"ThAnK yOu."_

I heard him speak softer than before. He then went silent, and I could only assume he had shut himself down for the time being, presumably until I drank green Mountain Dew. Christine smiled up at me.

"You ready?" She asked. I nodded.

"Let's go!"

Everyone ran out of the school building, arm in arm with their significant other at this point.

Eli was carrying Dallas, Jade was carrying Tempest, and Hope was carrying Rose.

I looked at Christine, smiled, and suddenly squeaked in surprise as she picked me up and carried me outside, then pressed a kiss to my lips.


End file.
